Lawrence J. "Larry" Hogan, Jr. (born May 25, 1956) is an American politician who is the Governor-elect of Maryland. A Republican, he is the founder and president of Hogan Companies, a commercial real estate brokerage firm. Hogan took leave of his business in 2003 to serve as Secretary of Appointments in the Bob Ehrlich administration. In 2011, Hogan founded the grassroots organization Change Maryland. In 2014, Hogan announced his candidacy for Governor of Maryland, and won the 2014 race.