Trump Looms Large As Republican Race For Governor Heats Up
At their first debate earlier this week, half of the Republican candidates for governor did their best to demonstrate their loyalty to former President Donald Trump by highlighting their relationship with the former president.
What You Need To Know
- Four Republican candidates are running for governor in the June 28 primary
- Former President Donald Trump looks large in the race as candidates navigate how to embrace his brand
- Trump has not endorsed in the race
âYou know, I was very honored to work four years in President Trumpâs White House. Iâve known him for over 20 years. I consider him a good friend,â Republican candidate for governor Andrew Giuliani said.
Or taking a swipe at another candidate for not doing enough to embrace Trump.
âNow, never Trumper Harry Wilson, who is here, refused to vote for Donald Trump in the 2020 election,â Long Island Congressman Lee Zeldin said.
Analysts say the party will need to make a choice about whether or not to wear the Trump brand.
âSo, this GOP primary is a defining moment for Republicans in New York,â former Republican strategist Jonathan Greenspun said. âIt is going to determine whether or not this is the party of MAGA, or one that is more practical and interested in winning in November rather than just making a larger political point.â
Both Harry Wilson and Rob Astorino have a more detached view of Trump. And that could potentially hurt them with some Republican primary voters.
Republicans Who Embraced Trumps Big Lie Run To Become Election Officials
Countrywide campaigns for secretaries of state underscore new Republican focus to take control of election administration
Republicans who have embraced baseless claims about the 2020 election being stolen are now running to serve as the chief elections officials in several states, a move that could give them significant power over election processes.
The campaigns, first detailed by Politico last week, underscore a new focus to take control of election administration. Secretaries of state, who are elected to office in partisan contests that have long been overlooked, wield enormous power over election rules in their state, are responsible for overseeing election equipment, and are a key player in certifying making official election results.
Winning secretary of state offices across the country would give conspiracy theorists enormous power to wreak havoc in the 2024 presidential election, including potentially blocking candidates who win the most votes from taking office.
This is an indication of wanting, basically, to have a man inside who can undermine, said Sylvia Albert, the director of voting and elections at Common Cause, a government watchdog group. Clearly these are not people who believe in the rule of law. And people who run our government need to follow the rule of law. So it is concerning that they are running.
How A Crowded Republican Field Could Help Trump In 2024 Election
NEW YORK As Donald Trump considers another White House run, polls show hes the most popular figure in the Republican Party. But it wasnt always that way.
Competing at one point against a dozen rivals for the presidential nomination in 2016, Trump won only about one-third of the vote in key early states. He even lost in Iowa, which kicks off the nomination process.
But he prevailed because those in the party who opposed his brand of divisive politics were never able to coalesce around a single rival. That same dynamic could repeat itself as Trump mulls a new bid for the presidency as soon as this summer.
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With a growing list of candidates gearing up to run, even a Trump diminished by two impeachments and mounting legal vulnerabilities could hold a commanding position in a fractured, multi-candidate primary.
I fear it could end up the same way as 2016, which basically was everyone thought everyone else should get out, said Republican strategist Mike DuHaime, who advised former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christies campaign that year. I think every major candidate realized that he or she would have a better shot against Trump one-on-one. But of course each person thought he or she should be the one to get that shot and nobody got out of the way. And then it was too late.
In the anti-Trump lane, politicians such as Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan are raising their profiles.
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Who Are The Republicans Running Against Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer
June 30: Ban gay marriage, two Michigan GOP governor candidates say at debate
LANSING What was an initial field of 13 candidates has been whittled to five Republicans competing to take on Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer this fall.
GOP hopefuls who qualified for the Aug. 2 primary ballot include a conservative media personality, two COVID-19 lockdown protesters, a pastor and a wealthy businessman.
None has held an elected office before but are seeking to bring a fresh perspective to Lansing and unseat Whitmer, who has built up a big campaign war chest as she seeks re-election to a second term.
Five other GOP hopefuls including the early frontrunner and the biggest spender were disqualified from the primary after submitting nominating petitions with tens of thousands of forged signatures collected by paid circulators now facing criminal investigation.
Three long-shot candidates never submitted signatures at all.
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The winner of the GOP primary will advance to the Nov. 8 general election against Whitmer and any third-party candidates who are nominated at separate conventions.
So who are all these Republican hopefuls who want to be Michigans next governor? Read on to find snapshots of each, and follow the links for additional information from their official campaign websites.
The Possible Candidates Who Have Stayed In The News Traveled Recently To Iowa Or Other Early Primary States Or Finished High In Recent Cpac And Western Conservative Summit Straw Polls
The way-too-early race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination has entered a new phase.
Though its still a long way off from anyone officially declaring their candidacy, former President Donald Trump has officially returned to the campaign trail and other would-be candidates are making more trips to early primary states to stump for Republicans there and speak with voters. Trump came in first in straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Texas Sunday with 70%, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 21%, and a host of other potential candidates at 1% or less.
Back in April, Deseret News looked at the early field of potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates. Since then, some have begun making moves that suggest theyre serious about preparing for a possible run, while others have kept a lower profile. The possible candidates in this list are based on whos stayed in the news, traveled recently to Iowa or other early primary states, or finished high in a recent Western Conservative Summit straw poll.
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Trumps Support In Iowa For Another Run Surpasses Bidens
According to news reports, Trumps decision is more a matter of when to launch a 2024 campaign, not if he should.
Some Republican operatives believe he should wait to make an announcement until after the November midterm elections to avoid taking the focus off Biden, whose approval ratings have plummeted amid rising inflation and soaring gas prices. But aides and allies have said an announcement could come as early as this summer.
Unlike Biden, Trump has fared well in Iowa in the past, placing second in the 2016 presidential caucuses and carrying the state in both the 2016 and 2020 general elections. Today, he garners more support in Iowa for another presidential bid than Biden, his 2020 rival, the poll shows.
Just 23% of Iowans say they hope Biden, 79, runs for president again, while 67% say they hope he does not. Nine percent are not sure.
Unlike Trump, Biden fails to garner a majority of support from within his own party for another campaign. Among Democrats, just 37% say he should run again, while 52% say they hope he does not.
Bidens approval rating in Iowa has hit a new low at 27%. At the same time, the share of Iowans who believe the country is on the wrong track has surpassed even what it was during the 2008 Great Recession. Today, 84% of Iowans believe things in the nation are on the wrong track. Just 10% say they believe things are headed in the right direction.
End Of 201: The Field Stabilizes Six Candidates Gain Traction
By December, Cruz had overtaken Carson by solidifying a base of support among Christian conservatives and averaged national polling of 18%, second only to Trump. The non-interventionist Paul still failed to make traction at this juncture, while Carson fell down to about 10%, roughly even with Rubio. On December 15, 2015, there was another presidential debate, which saw no major changes in the perceptions of the candidates. On December 21, 2015, the same day as the deadline to withdraw from the ballot in his home state of South Carolina, Graham suspended his campaign. Eight days later, on December 29, Pataki, who was struggling to poll above the margin of error, suspended his campaign as well.
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Gop Leaders Won’t Get In The Way Of Trump 2024
Most top Hill Republicans would rather he not announce before November. But that doesn’t mean they’re prepared to boost any rivals setting up a 2016 redux.
As the GOP awaits Former President Donald Trump’s decision to enter the 2024 presidential race, many are prepared to adopt the same playbook they did in 2016: Allow a crowded primary field to sort itself out with minimal interference. | John Locher/AP Photo
07/22/2022 04:30 AM EDT
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Congressional Republican leaders have no apparent plans to keep Donald Trump from a third presidential run. Some are even encouraging it.
I support President Trump running in 2024, said Rep. Elise Stefanik, the No. 3 House Republican, who said shed endorse him over other GOP candidates for the White House.
Of the more than 12 GOP leaders in both chambers POLITICO interviewed for this story, Stefanik went furthest in her expression of support for Trump. Yet while Republicans arent endorsing him early, they arent getting in his way, either. Many are prepared to adopt the same playbook they did in 2016: Allow a crowded presidential primary field to sort itself out with minimal interference.
The wrinkle, of course, is that those same conditions allowed Trump to first defeat a field of more than a dozen challengers and win the nomination. And Trump is no longer the cipher he was in 2015: He has a record as a president, two impeachments, and is still facing legal threats as well as a congressional investigation.
Trump Battered By January 6 Testimony Mulls 2024 Run And Not All Republicans Are Happy
Republicans are odds-on to take back the House and Senate in November, and the last thing the party needs, experts say, is a Trump distraction
On Thursday the Trump campaign sent out a begging-bowl email to hundreds of thousands of supporters, previewing the former presidents rally in Arizona this weekend and teasing the recipients with a portent of momentous things to come.
Donald Trump wants to make sure its one of his best rallies yet, his loyal followers were told. He is preparing the speech that he will give in front of the American people.
The speech he will give was a nudge-nudge wink-wink suggestion that the one-term president is poised to announce another run on the White House in 2024. The tantalizing hint was the latest in an intensifying stream of similar baits most recently in remarks to Olivia Nuzzi of New York magazine this week that are driving Republican party leaders to distraction.
With inflation running at 40-year highs, and with Joe Biden suffering record lows in his approval ratings, the Republican script for winning back the US House and Senate in Novembers midterm elections writes itself. The last thing the party needs, many top Republicans believe, is Trump muddying the message by talking about himself and 2024.
It is not yet clear whether the hearings have managed to launch a torpedo sufficiently explosive to sink USS Trump. But the vessel is clearly taking on water, as is demonstrated by the polls.
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Made The Gop Primary Ballot:
Tudor Dixon: Dixon worked as a sales executive in her family’s steel industry business before emerging as a conservative media personality and news anchor on America’s Voice News, a streaming outlet.
The Muskegon area resident has criticized Whitmer’s COVID-19 policies as a form of tyranny and aligned herself with Trump, who appeared at a recent fundraiser she threw at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
She has been endorsed by Right to Life of Michigan as well as the powerful DeVos family.
Ryan Kelley: Kelly is a former Allendale Township planning commissioner who gained a following in 2020 when he protested removal of a Confederate statue in his hometown and organized a large anti-Whitmer protest at the Michigan Capitol that resulted in armed demonstrators entering the building.
Kelley urged federal authorities to “arrest” Whitmer for her COVID-19 policies, which he is now campaigning against. Hes called for a forensic audit of the 2020 election and was outside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riots.
Positioning himself as an unapologetic conservative, Kelley told Bridge Michigan in April that he won’t change his “tune in order to pander for votes.”
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Ralph Rebandt: Rebandt is a longtime pastor at Oakland Hills Community Church in Farmington Hills and a chaplain for the Michigan Associations of Chiefs of Police.
‘the Silence Is Deafening’
A person close to some of the biggest real estate executives in New York who backed Trump during both of his runs for the White House said this time is different. Their view is he’s taken “major hits” during the Jan. 6 hearings. None from that group are coming to defend him, at least for now.
“The silence is deafening,” this person added.
The lack of interest in Trump by some of the wealthiest Republican donors could boost fundraising efforts for other GOP presidential hopefuls. Multiple Republicans could run in 2024, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C. and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. Scott is up for reelection in 2022 but recently headlined an event in Iowa, a key state for candidates running for president. Cotton reportedly has huddled with donors to discuss a possible 2024 run.
The former president has not publicly ruled out running for the White House again in two years after losing to President Joe Biden in 2020. Despite a lack of support from corporate leaders, Trump has maintained a massive campaign war chest thanks largely to small-dollar donors.
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Florida Gov Ron Desantis
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is probably the most prominent of the Republican governors who are pondering presidential bids. The former congressman has been particularly vocal about the COVID pandemic, working against the Biden administration’s requirements for masks and vaccinations. He has also echoed Trump’s calls for “election integrity.”
DeSantis has also downplayed 2024 speculation for a very important reason: He’s up for re-election in 2022 in a state that remains closely divided. DeSantis won the 2018 governor’s race by less than 1 percentage point.
The publicity surrounding DeSantis’ performance as governor has made him perhaps the most high-profile non-Trump candidate. The Florida governor scores well in presidential polls, though he and his aides have discouraged talk about 2024 because of his re-election battle in 2022.
“Im not considering anything beyond doing my job,” DeSantis told Fox News host Sean Hannity recently.
DeSantis’ rise in the polls has triggered blowback from Trump and his allies. In an October interview with Yahoo Finance, Trump predicted that most GOP candidates would drop out if he runs, including DeSantis.
If I faced him, I’d beat him like I would beat everyone else, Trump said.
May 201: Trump As Presumptive Nominee
142 delegates were awarded between the Indiana primary and the final primaries in June however, with Trump the only candidate remaining, Washington, Oregon, West Virginia and Nebraska became essentially uncontested, although Cruz and Kasich remained on the ballot. Trump won handily in West Virginia, Nebraska and Oregon, although Kasich received one delegate from West Virginia and five in Oregon, while Cruz took five in Oregon as well. The next week, Trump won decisively in Washington State, taking 76% of the vote and 41 of 44 delegates, with the other three uncommitted.
May 1024 results| 11% |
After becoming the presumptive Republican nominee, Trump said regarding the Republican primaries: “You’ve been hearing me say it’s a rigged system, but now I don’t say it anymore because I won. It’s true. Now I don’t care.”
On May 26, 2016, the Associated Press announced that Trump had passed the threshold of 1,237 delegates required to guarantee his nomination, thanks to unbound delegates from North Dakota who declared their support for Trump.
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Will Any Republicans Challenge Trump In 2024 Desantis Pence And The Other Top Contenders To Know
WASHINGTON Many Republicans are spending the holidays planning for the congressional and gubernatorial elections of 2022 especially Donald Trump and other Republicans who are thinking of running for president in 2024.
The midterm elections are still more than 11 months away, but the Republican presidential race of early 2024 is well underway, a unique behind-the-scenes contest involving more than a dozen potential candidates and being conducted in the giant shadow of a volatile ex-president named Trump.
While still protesting his loss to President Joe Biden in 2020, Trump plans to campaign for allies and against enemies in 2022. He is also giving out broad hints he may seek the presidency again in 2024 and the longer he waits to announce, the more others will think about jumping in.
At least ten other Republicans are making the kinds of moves presidential aspirants make: high-profile speeches, book tours, political organizations, media interviews and visits to early delegate selection states like Iowa and New Hampshire.
