In 1949, he considered a run for Mayor of New York when William O'Dwyer announced that he would not seek re-election. Hogan ended the campaign after O'Dwyer changed his mind to run again. He decided to run for the United States Senate in 1958 for the seat that Irving Ives was vacating. While Democratic leaders Averell Harriman and mayor Robert F. Wagner preferred a candidate with a larger statewide profile, Carmine DeSapio, the head of Tammany Hall pushed Hogan's candidacy. The move backfired on DeSapio with Kenneth B. Keating defeating Hogan and Nelson Rockefeller becoming Governor of New York.