Feuding with Trump, Hogan doubles down on criticism of fellow Republican Dan Cox

BALTIMORE -- Republican Dan Cox will face off against Democrat Wes Moore in the November general election to be Maryland's next governor.

Republican and current Gov. Larry Hogan has not been shy about expressing his disdain for Cox, a delegate representing Carroll and Frederick Counties. He called Cox a "nutjob" in an interview with ABC News.

"There's going to be a long battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party, and this is just the beginning," Hogan told CNN on Sunday. "In November, we're going to have a different story when a lot of these fringe candidates lose and then we're going to have to start thinking about between November and two years later, what kind of party are we going to be? Are we going to get back to a more Reagan-esque, big-tent party or are we going to double down on failure?"

Cox is backed by former President Donald Trump, and Hogan has been in a heated feud with Trump. "Donald Trump's influence is diminished and will continue to diminish between now and the next election," he said.

While Hogan's preferred candidate, Kelly Schulz, lost by a wide margin, the governor does not see it as a defeat for him.

He told ABC there was a "very small turnout."

"It's not a big win. It's really a loss, and we're just going to have to wait a few months," Hogan said.

Hogan turned down overtures to run against Chris Van Hollen for a Senate seat and has repeatedly declined to reveal whether he'll be running for president.

And while he said he will not vote for Cox, Hogan has not spoken about whether he will cross the aisle and vote for Moore.

"I can tell you I'm not giving up," Hogan told CNN. "It just makes me want to double down and fight back against what I think is kind of a hostile takeover of the party that I love, that I've been involved in my whole life."

While some mail-in ballots are still being tallied, Cox leads with 144,024 votes as of Monday evening. Schulz has 113,320 votes.