Donald Trump And Mike Pence’s 2024 Rivalry Heats Up
The newly formed rivalry of former key allies Donald Trump and Mike Pence is set to increase over the coming days, as the former vice president puts himself in direct competition with his old confidante.
Both Trump and Pence are set to hold dueling campaign events in Arizona on Friday, with the pair endorsing separate candidates in the state’s Republican gubernatorial primary on August 2.
In one corner, there is the Trump-endorsed candidate Kari Lake, a former TV anchor who has continuously backed the false claim the 2020 presidential election was rigged due to widespread voter fraud.
Then, there is Karrin Taylor Robson, a former Arizona Board of Regents who, as of Monday, has the endorsement of Pence.
“As Arizona Democrats pursue the reckless Biden-Harris agenda, Karrin Taylor Robson is the only candidate for Governor that will keep Arizona’s border secure and streets safe, empower parents and create great schools, and promote conservative values,” Pence said in a statement on July 18. “Karrin is the best choice for Arizona’s future, and I am proud to support her.”
Pence confirmed along with his endorsement that he will appear with her at campaign events this Friday in Phoenix and southern Arizona.
The same day, Trump is set to headline a political rally in support of Lake, which was rescheduled following the death of his first wife, Ivana Trump.
Report: Trump Thinks A 2024 Presidential Run Will Keep Him Out Of Prison
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Donald Trump famously hated the actual job of being president of the United States, given its emphasis on reading documents, listening to experts, and giving a crap about other people. On the other hand, he did enjoy the power, and one aspect of the power he really seemed to like was the fact that, according to his lawyers, he couldnt be held accountable for any crimes while in office.
Now, at the moment, Donald Trump is not president, and his legal situation isnt looking so hot. For one thing, the January 6 committee has given the Justice Department a whole bunch of reasons to indict the guy, and on Sunday, vice-chair Liz Cheneysaid the panel may make its own criminal referral. For another, the Fulton County criminal investigation into Trumps attempt to overturn the 2020 election is heating up and actually appears to have legs. Anyway, can you see where this is going?
Meanwhile, during an interview with ABCs This Week on Sunday, Cheney confirmed that the January 6 committee could refer Trump for criminal charges to the DOJ, while also noting that the Justice Department does not need to wait on the panel to make its own indictment. Which Trumpidiot as he may beis apparently aware of.
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Turns out, it doesnt. Heres CNN again:
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.
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‘no Animosity Except That He Called Me A Swamp Rat’
In an interview at his home in Mesa, Farnsworth, a former state senator, spoke in religious terms as he told Insider about how his own Mormon faith had driven him to come out of retirement to challenge Bowers.
“The whole issue of this race, from my perspective, is that our freedom is being destroyed,” said Farnsworth as he sat with the Book of Mormon open in front of him. “And it’s the people that are prophesied in this book who orchestrated the theft of the election.”
In Farnsworth’s telling, Townsend told him that he was the “only one that can beat Rusty” because of their shared Mormon faith, and he said he was running against his one-time acquaintance largely over dissatisfaction with how he handled the 2020 election.
“I have no doubt in my mind that the election was stolen,” said Farnsworth. “I can’t show you the proof, but I grew up in Arizona, I’ve seen all the evidence, I’ve talked to all these people, and in my heart, I know the election was stolen.”
Farnsworth said that while he agrees that trying to appoint pro-Trump electors might have been a step too far, he thinks the former president genuinely believes he’d won the 2020 election and that it was Bowers’ job to address the widespread lack of faith in the vote, suggesting that he could’ve held hearings to uncover evidence of fraud.
Farnsworth said that if elected, he wants to hold hearings on the issue himself, though he made clear that he doesn’t believe the election itself can be reversed.
Trump Will ‘ultimately’ Run In 2024 But Not Against Biden Former Adviser Predicts
Jason Miller, a former top adviser to Donald Trump, predicted again on Friday that the former president will run for the White House in 2024but he doesn’t expect him to do so against President Joe Biden.
Trump has been teasing the possibility of another presidential run in 2024 for most of the year. Miller and other associates of the former president have repeatedly said publicly that they expect him to seek office in the next presidential election. During an interview with Fox Business on Friday, Miller shared his perspective on Trump’s plans.
“I think ultimately in 2024 President Trump does run again. At least that is my hope,” Miller said. “But I don’t think it will be against Joe Biden. I think it will be a Kamala Harris or maybe a Gavin Newsom,” he predicted.
Biden, 78, has previously said that he plans to seek reelection. “My plan is to run for reelection. That’s my expectation,” the president told reporters in late March.
During that same press conference, Biden was asked about the possibility of a rematch with Trump. He responded by saying he didn’t have any predictions on what the state of the Republican Party would be in a few years.
“Oh, come on. I don’t even think aboutI have no idea. I have no idea if there will be a Republican Party. Do you?” Biden said. He also noted that he would “fully expect” Harris to run as his vice president in the next election.
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Opposition To Trump Remains: ‘i Would Have To Do Quite A Bit Of Soul Searching’
But even as Trump mulls a campaign rollout, other would-be GOP contenders have been flooding the state, including former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and former Vice President Mike Pence.
Iowa Republicans again plan to hold their heralded first-in-the-nation caucuses, and the early visits indicate Trump would likely face at least some opposition.
Glenna Bents is among the 33% of Iowa Republicans who hope Trump does not seek the partys nomination.
If he’s a political leader, then I must not be a political follower, she said.
Bents, a 75-year-old Ames resident and poll respondent, said she approves of the job Iowa Republicans such as U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley and Gov. Kim Reynolds are doing. But she doesnt appreciate Trumps vulgarness and is looking for someone with diplomacy, manners and respect.
If Trump is the partys eventual nominee, she said, I would have to do quite a bit of soul searching before voting for him in the general election.
The share of Iowa Republicans who say they feel more allegiance to Trump than to the Republican Party has fallen from 26% in November 2021 to 21% today. Seventy percent now say they feel more allegiance to the Republican Party up from 61% in 2021.
Brett Funk, a 32-year-old Sheffield resident and poll respondent, said he would like to see Trump run again, but only because he sees him as beatable.
Trumps Fear Factor Shows Signs Of Waning As 2024 Republican Hopefuls Jockey
If Donald Trump runs for president again, hell likely be the party’s nominee. But a raft of GOP candidates looks ready to take him on, a sign hes losing some of his dominance in Republican circles.
Just this week, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem launched a commercial aimed at introducing her to a national audience. Trumps former U.N. ambassador, Nikki Haley, publicly floated a possible presidential bid Thursday in early state Iowa. And Trumps former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, began targeting evangelical voters in Iowa and South Carolina with a new ad on the Supreme Court and religious freedom.
Meanwhile, Trumps estranged 2020 running mate, former Vice President Mike Pence, is positioning himself for an expected run against his old boss, while Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton has become a frequent visitor to Iowa and New Hampshire, another early voting state.
For months, consultants and grassroots conservatives like Iowas Bob Vander Plaats believed many of the Republicans were testing the waters in a less serious way, perhaps in the hopes of auditioning as Trumps running mate. But now they think Trump will face a real primary.
The best way I can put it is that if theres a Trump candidacy and so many of us respect what he did as president many are afraid were going to end up in an endless debate on the past versus a debate on moving forward in the future, Vander Plaats said of what he’s hearing on the ground in the first-in-the-nation caucus state.
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The ‘growing Fragility Of Civilization’
Bowers, a sculptor and painter who’s now nearing age 70, has gone through a great deal of stress in recent years. His daughter, Kacey, died of a terminal illness at the end of January 2021 as Bowers dealt with protestors accusing him of being a “pedophile” outside his home.
Asked why he’s opted to run for another political office given both his age and the anger he’s faced from members of his own party Bowers spoke of his “love” for Arizona.
“There isn’t anybody in the legislature that knows more about this state than me,” he said.
But Bowers also warned of what he calls the “growing fragility of civilization.”
“The use of emotional violence as a political tool the biggest tool in the toolbox is now kind of common,” said Bowers. “Just bully them until they can’t take it anymore.”
He bemoaned the rise of this style of politics at a time when big challenges, including water scarcity driven by climate change, are impacting Arizona hard when Bowers spoke with Insider, the average temperature in Maricopa County was well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
“The policies, the practical governance of a society suffers,” he said. “And I’m afraid.”
“We are going to need to wisely move quickly to use the resources we’ve set aside,” he continued. “And I think I want my opponent taking those decisions?”
In his testimony before the January 6 committee in June, Bowers spoke of his admiration for President Ronald Reagan.
How Did Blake Masters Get Into Politics
Masters drew interest from conservatives in 2019 when he said what many thought but would not say publicly: that then-Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., could not beat Kelly.
McSally lost her 2018 Senate race to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, but wound up in the chamber anyway after Gov. Doug Ducey appointed her to the state’s other Senate seat after the death of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and the subsequent resignation of Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.
Masters opted against challenging McSally in 2020 after conducting polling, meeting with potential donors and consulting key Republicans, including Ducey and Kyl.
Long before, Masters shared libertarian policy views in online posts and essays while he was at Stanford.
From the outset of Masters’ Senate run, Thiel committed millions to a political action committee to help boost Masters’ chances. He has spent at least $15 million to help Masters.
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‘they’re All Uniformly Thankful’
In June, Bowers testified before the January 6 committee about the months of harassment outside his home that he’d endured from supporters of the former president. He also described the deluge of phone and email messages registering disapproval at his refusal to bend to Trump’s will.
CNN Politics
Now, in the throes of another political campaign, Bowers seems to be used to confrontation.
Bowers now says that “nobody’s come by the house of late,” though he said some friends had suggested he prepare for the possibility for further demonstrations in light of Trump’s recent visit to the state.
And he told Insider that he’s continuing to get “basically the same type of harassment online that I’ve gotten for the last two years,” but pays it little mind.
“I don’t Twitter,” he said. “I told the President that I don’t tweet.”
Bowers told Insider that he’s received mostly positive responses from people who’ve approached him about his committee testimony, particularly among fellow members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and in his neighborhood on the northern edge of Mesa.
“Especially in my neighborhood. Ds, Rs, Is, people from space,” he said. “They’re all uniformly thankful.”
Bowers concedes, however, that the most committed party activists in his district are incensed with him.
“The fix is with the district leadership and in the Republican women,” said Bowers. “The fix is all in for Trump and Dave, they’ve been working at it for months.”
Aaron Rupar
Sen Ted Cruz Of Texas
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, the last Republican candidate to drop out in 2016 before Trump claimed the nomination, has also said he is waiting to see how things play out.
A lot depends on Trump, he said.
During an appearance on CBS’ Face The Nation, Cruz said “I have no idea what’s going to happen in 2024,” and added that Trump “is going to have to make a choice, first of all, whether he’s going to run or not. I think if he chose to run, he would be very, very formidable.”
The Texas conservative added that, “I can tell you that when I ran in 2016, we came incredibly close. I came in second. There’s a long history of runner-ups becoming the next nominee.”
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As The Jan 6 Committee Focuses On Pences Role In Certifying Bidens Win The Former Vice President Is Making Moves Toward A Campaign For The White House
Hours after House Republicans applauded him in Washington for having refused Donald Trumps undemocratic demands, former vice president Mike Pence took the stage at a South Carolina church Wednesday night to tell the faithful about his next political battle.
We find ourselves at a turning point in American history, Pence preached to about 1,500 parishioners at the Florence Baptist Temple. The Bible tells us, without a vision, the people perish.
The vision Pence offered, suffused with scripture and calls to political action, sounded like the stump speech of a presidential candidate seeking evangelical votes in the Souths first primary state. He spoke about the next steps in the fight against abortion now that the Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade reforming the tax code and the alleged immoderation of Democrats. When he mentioned his time in the White House, he made no direct mention of the former president.
The Trump-Pence administration, he said instead.
Advisers and allies say they think Pence is likely to run, and insist he will not base his decision on whether Trump chooses to run again.
Its truly unfortunate that they had a falling out because Pence had been a very loyal and I think a very effective vice president. But it is where it is, said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, an adviser to both men. And Pence is carving out a space for himself.
Republican Voters On Their Preferred Candidate For President
If the Republican 2024 presidential primary were held today, who would you vote for if the candidates were:
Donald
Asked of 350 respondents who said they planned to vote in the 2024 Republican primary in a New York Times/Siena College poll from July 5-7, 2022. Respondents who answered someone else or did not offer a response are not shown.
The greatest threat to usurp Mr. Trump within the party is Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who was the second choice with 25 percent and the only other contender with double-digit support. Among primary voters, Mr. DeSantis was the top choice of younger Republicans, those with a college degree and those who said they voted for President Biden in 2020.
While about one-fourth of Republicans said they didnt know enough to have an opinion about Mr. DeSantis, he was well-liked by those who did. Among those who voted for Mr. Trump in 2020, 44 percent said they had a very favorable opinion of Mr. DeSantis similar to the 46 percent who said the same about Mr. Trump.
Should Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Trump face off in a primary, the poll suggested that support from Fox News could prove crucial: Mr. Trump held a 62 percent to 26 percent advantage over Mr. DeSantis among Fox News viewers, while the gap between the two Floridians was 16 points closer among Republicans who mainly receive their news from another source.
Mr. Trumps troubles inside his party leave him hamstrung in a matchup against an unusually vulnerable incumbent.
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