Who Is Trump Reaching
If the former president proves to be a kingmaker in the 2022 midterms, his allies say he may seek reelection in 2024.
The Republican Party is just a name, Steve Bannon told me last week. I had called him to ask about the influence he believes his old boss still carries inside the GOP. The bulk of it is a populist, nationalist party led by Donald Trump. As for the rest of it? The Republican Party, pre-2016, are the modern Whigs, he added, referring to the national party that collapsed in the mid-19th century over divided views on slavery.
Bannon might not be the most reliable barometer of the political moment, but some of Trumps fiercest Republican critics share his belief that the former president maintains a strong grip on his party. He sparked this , and now others are going ahead and taking the baton of batshittery, Representative Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois and a staunch Trump critic, told me last week.
After losing badly in 2020, the GOP wants candidates who can win in 2022. But the partys biggest star seems less concerned with fellow Republicans electability than with their fealty. Trump aims to punish incumbents who voted for his impeachment and reward those who support the culture war hes stoked. Republicans want to talk about Joe Bidens liberal leanings and how inflation is making life more expensive for most Americans. Trump wants to talk about himself and his personal woes.
What will voters want to hear?
Former Trump Aide To Run Primary Challenge Against Kinzinger
Representative Adam Kinzinger will face a primary challenge from a former Trump administration aide as the pro-Trump faction of the GOP looks to oust Republicans, such as Kinzinger, who voted in support of the former presidents second impeachment.
Catalina Lauf, who served in the Department of Commerce under the Trump administration, launched a bid Thursday to oust Kinzinger from his seat in the 16th congressional district of Illinois.
I never thought Id primary a fellow Republican, but is Congressman Kinzinger really a Republican anymore? He isnt and we have the proof, the 27-year-old challenger said in a campaign announcement video.
Lauf said her 42-year-old opponent is a weak-kneed, establishment Republican who cares more about his next MSNBC appearance than the voters who elected him.
She claimed Kinzinger does not support the America First movement, noting his one in three votes in Congress that have sided with House speaker Nancy Pelosi
Instead of being in our fight, Adam betrayed his constituents for a life in the D.C. swamp, said Lauf, who branded herself the anti-AOC.
She blasts her Fake Republican opponent for backing the phony impeachment hoax for a president who has already left office.
He said impeachment was necessary to save America. What? Lauf said. You know what I think is necessary to save America, Adam? Setting term limits for people like you and the rest of your friends out. Six terms in Congress is enough.
Tim Griffin: Arkansas Attorney General
Arkansas Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin was initially running for governor until Sanders announced her entry into the race alongside Trumps endorsement. He is now running for attorney general, also with a firm endorsement from Trump.
Lieutenant Governor Tim Griffin, who is running for Attorney General, is a highly respected Army Veteran who will always fight for the great people of Arkansas, Trump said in a statement. Tim will be tough on Crime, defend our Second Amendment, loves our Military and our Vets, and will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the brave Men and Women of Law Enforcement. Tim Griffin has my Complete and Total Endorsement!
Recommended Reading: Number Of Trump Lies To Date
Sen Ted Cruz Of Texas
During his remarks at the Faith & Freedom Coalition Road to Majority conference in Florida last month, Cruz said that a conservative revival is coming and hearkened back to the Reagan revolution. It took Jimmy Carter to give us Ronald Reagan, he said. Joe Biden is Jimmy Carter 2.0. Left unsaid, but implied, is that Cruz sees himself as the Reagan 2.0 who will ensure Biden is a one-term president.
Cruz said at that conference that having social conservative or patriotic views can get you canceled, and its time to fight back. He also recited a favorite quote from the late Andrew Breitbart who said politics is downstream from culture, and said the phrase was now outdated. Today, politics is culture, Cruz said, which might help explain why he signaled his support to free Britney Spears from her conservatorship the day after her court testimony.
Cruz has begun making endorsements in other races, including Susan Wright in the runoff for Texas 6th Congressional District later this month, as well as former Rep. Matt Salmon in Arizonas gubernatorial race next year. While Republicans are undoubtedly happy to have Cruzs support, Democrats like it, too, at least in Virginia, where fundraising emails from Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe that mention Cruzs endorsement of his Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin bring in big bucks, per the Dallas Morning News.
Potential 2024 Republican Presidential Candidates
Though were still more than 1,300 days away from the 2024 presidential election, potential candidates are already making stops in early caucus and primary states and working behind the scenes to prepare for a possible run.
Late last month, C-SPAN kicked off its Road to the White House coverage with a speech by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Iowa, and former Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to give the keynote at a dinner for a social conservative group in South Carolina on April 29.
Also Check: Trump Hotel Chicago Price
Mo Brooks: Representative Alabama
U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks makes an announcement in Huntsville, Alabama, U.S. March 22, 2021. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage
Trump announced his endorsement for Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks on Tuesday, April 7, releasing a lengthy statement praising the Congressmans courage and fight.
Few Republicans have as much COURAGE and FIGHT as Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks. Mo is a great Conservative Republican leader, who will stand up for America First no matter what obstacles the Fake News Media, RINOs, or Socialist Democrats may place in his path. Mo Brooks is pro-life, loves our Military and our Vets, will protect our Second Amendment, combat the Biden open borders agenda, is fighting for voter integrity , and was the Co-Chair of our winning, and record setting, Alabama campaign in 2020. Mo Brooks has my Complete and Total Endorsement for the U.S. Senate representing the Great State of Alabama, Trump wrote. He will never let you down.
Florida Gov Ron Desantis
DeSantis narrowly beat out Trump in a straw poll at the Western Conservative Summit in Denver last month, but his greatest strength could also prove to be his greatest weakness. Praised by Republicans as a next-generation Trump, it could put him on a collision course with Trump should both run.
DeSantis is up for reelection next year, and hes purposely avoided Iowa to not drive 2024 speculation, according to Politico. Still, hes building out a gubernatorial record sure to please primary voters. Name a top Republican issue today, chances are DeSantis has signed a bill and/or has run Facebook ads about it.
Hes signed bills banning vaccine passports,restricting ballot drop boxes and voting by mail, and setting mandates for civics curriculum in the state. Another bill prohibiting deplatforming was signed into law in May, but a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Wednesday, arguing it likely violates social media networks First Amendment freedom of speech rights. Hes run Facebook ads about critical race theory and transgender athletes in sports.
But DeSantis has backed away from partisanship when responding to the building collapse in Surfside, Florida. The first-term governor welcomed President Joe Biden to the state last week when he visited to meet with families and survivors. Youve recognized the severity of this tragedy from day one and youve been very supportive, DeSantis said of Biden.
Also Check: Donald Trump’s Father Arrested At Kkk
Sarah Huckabee Sanders: Governor Of Arkansas
Outgoing White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders hugs US President Donald Trump during a second chance hiring and criminal justice reform event in the East Room of the White House
Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced her plans to run for the governor of Arkansas on January 25, and Trump gave her his endorsement the same day.
Sanders has a long and positive history with Trump, having served as his White House press secretary from 2017 to 2019.
Sen Tim Scott Of South Carolina
One thing Scott has going for him that other potential 2024 contenders do not is a bunch of their endorsements. Scotts up for reelection next year, and in an ad kicking off his campaign released last week, Republicans including Cruz, Pompeo, Haley and Pence all backed his candidacy. Scott is positioning himself as a Trump-friendly conservative. In his ad, he included a clip of Trump calling him a friend of mine, and at a rally for his reelection, Scott said he wanted to make sure this wasnt a centrist crowd after asking them to boo Biden louder, according to The State.
Don’t Miss: Contact Donald Trump Via Email
Democrats Sweat Turnout Disaster In California Without Trump To Run Against
Without Trump on the ballot, California Democrats are trying to motivate voters.
In a heavily Democratic state where Gov. Gavin Newsom beat his Republican opponent in 2018 by 3 million votes, the recall stands within a few percentage points of passing next month. | Jeff Chiu/AP Photo
08/26/2021 02:34 PM EDT
-
Link Copied
LOS ANGELES Donald Trump could swing the California governorship to a Republican. Merely by his absence.
Democrats turned out in record numbers when they had Trump to vote against. But in one of the first, large-scale tests of voter enthusiasm for Democrats in the post-Trump era, Californias surprisingly close gubernatorial recall election is laying bare just how hard it may be for the party to motivate its base without Trump as a foil.
Even in this bastion of progressive politics, ominous signs for the Democratic Party are everywhere. A CBS News-YouGov poll last week found voters who cast ballots for Joe Biden were less likely than Trump supporters to be very closely following the recall and less motivated to vote. In a Berkeley-IGS survey, registered Democrats and independent voters were nearly 30 percentage points less likely than Republicans to express a high level of interest in voting in the election.
Can Democrats win without having Trump as their foil? This is the challenge, said Gray Davis, the former California governor who was recalled in 2003.
Were going to find out pretty soon, he said in an interview.
- Filed under:
More: Trump’s Influence Looms As Gop Looks To Recapture Congress In 2022
The one pro-impeachment Republican who has yet to get a primary challenger is John Katko, who represents New York’s 24th Congressional District. After Valadao’s district in California, where Mathys is running, Katko represents the second-most pro-Biden district among the 10 pro-impeachment House Republicans.
Trump is reportedly hunting for the right challenger to take on Katko. According to Syracuse.com, Trump sent a handwritten letter to two county Conservative Party chairmen, calling Katko “bad news” and saying he would “help with campaign — find a great candidate.”
Recommended Reading: How Much Is It To Stay In The Trump Tower
What Makes The 2024 Presidential Election Unique
The lead up to the 2024 presidential election is different from past years because of former President Donald Trump. Hes eligible to run for a second term, and has publicly toyed with the idea while also weighing in on other Republicans he thinks could be the future of the party. If Trump does run in 2024, hed start out with unparalleled name ID and massive support, but if he doesnt, the field could be wide open for other Republicans hoping to win over his supporters. President Joe Biden said recently he expects to run for reelection in 2024.
Related
Golden Trump statue at CPAC 2021 was no graven image, according to the artist
This early on, wannabe candidates must raise their profiles, show their commitment to the party, and raise money, one Republican strategist said, to get on peoples radars even when your candidacy is in a holding pattern.
Some of the most visible 2024 presidential candidates will surely flame out long before the Iowa caucus, and theres always the chance that the next Republican nominee isnt yet considered a serious player . Theres a million and one things that will happen between now and then that will shape the race in ways we cant now predict, but the invisible primary that comes before any votes are cast has started.
Heres your very early guide to some of 2024s Republican presidential candidates, based on early polling, interviews with Republican donors and strategists and results from online political betting markets.
Sen Rick Scott Of Florida
Scott, 68, is a first-term senator whose biggest asset could be his fundraising. During his 2018 campaign, he raised more than $20 million, in addition to $63 million of his own money he chipped in, according to Politico, and hes also chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Scott and his wife, Ann Holland, have two children, and he was previously the governor of Florida.
Read Also: Did Donald Trump Graduate From College
Former Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo
In the month of June, Pompeo tweeted the word pipehitter 18 times, and his political action committee CAVPAC short for Champion American Values PAC tweeted pipehitter another 16 times. Be a pipehitter, read one. All of us need to be Pipehitters. If youre a Pipehitter like us, join the team. What the heck is a pipehitter, though?
The word refers to members of special forces, though it has other slang definitions not suitable for a family news website, which inspired mockery online and from Stephen Colbert. According to Pompeo, though, a pipehitter is basically a Pompeo super fan. Facebook ads run by CAVPAC in Pompeos home state of Kansas and the four early primary/caucus states define pipehitter as someone who is unapologetically American, someone who fights for our future, someone who never gives an inch, someone who is dedicated to stand against the radical Lefts agenda.
In non-pipehitter news, a recent joint investigation by The New York Times and ProPublica found Pompeo has been the subject of Chinese propaganda campaign that included coordinated videos of Uyghurs calling Pompeos accusations of Chinese human rights abuses false. In January, the State Department declared that the Chinese Communist Party was committing genocide against Muslim Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang, and Pompeo called it the stain of the century.
