Who’s Running Against Trump In The Republican Primary

Shelby Of Alabama Is Said To Plan $5 Million Campaign To Boost Former Aide As Senate Replacement Over Trump

Retiring Sen. Richard C. Shelby has said he plans to spend $5 million of his campaign funds to help his former chief of staff in the Republican primary to replace him, according to two people familiar with the conversations.

The massive infusion of cash could have a major impact in the hotly contested race, in which Rep. Mo Brooks , a top proponent of former president Donald Trumps election conspiracies, has struggled to keep up in fundraising after winning the former presidents endorsement.

Shelby, 87, whose 2022 retirement will end six terms in the Senate, has $9.7 million in cash in his campaign account and $6.5 million in his leadership PAC, according to federal records. He has told others that $5 million of it will go to an independent SuperPAC supporting Katie Britt, 39, who after leaving his staff served as the CEO of the Business Council of Alabama, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.

Blair Taylor, a spokeswoman for Shelby, declined to comment on his spending plans.

The Senators support for Katie is well known, she said in a statement. He will continue to back her as the race develops in whatever ways are most appropriate, as he believes she is the best candidate to serve the people of Alabama.

I entered this race after factoring in that Richard Shelby would probably put millions in on Katie Britts behalf, Brooks said. They are hand in glove.

Former Ambassador To The United Nations Nikki Haley

Haley has changed her tone when it comes to Trump. After saying he let us down and lost any sort of political viability he was going to have following Jan. 6, Haley is, at least publicly, a fan again. During her remarks at the Iowa Republican Party dinner on June 24, Haley praised Trump and told a story about him asking if he should call Kim Jong Un little rocket man during his speech at the U.N. Haley said she cautioned him to treat the audience like church instead of a rally, but he went ahead and used the term.

Haley even sounded kind of Trumpian during her speech, telling Republicans they were too nice. We have to be tough about how we fight, she said. We keep getting steamrolled and then whine and complain about it. The days of being nice should be over.

She also didnt shy away from her gender, opening the speech by saying, America needs more strong conservative women leaders and less of Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris, and praising female Iowa Republicans like U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst and Gov. Kim Reynolds. I wear heels, Haley said. Its not for a fashion statement. I use it for kicking. But I always kick with a smile.

South Dakota Gov Kristi Noem

Noem is among the potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates whove been overshadowed recently by other top contenders, but shes back in the news over the border. Though Noems not a border state governor, she announced last week that shes sending up to 50 South Dakota National Guard members to Texas to secure the border at the request of Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

The tab is being picked up by an out-of-state megadonor whos also given to Trump and the NRA, according to The Washington Post. Its unclear if the arrangement is legal, experts who spoke to The New York Times said, and Gov. Asa Hutchinson, R-Ark., said the move sets a bad precedent.

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Former President Donald Trump

Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity that he made up his mind about whether hell run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination again, but he didnt say what the answer is, keeping the 2024 field open, for now.

The former president held his first post-White House rally in Ohio on June 26 the first since his inflammatory Jan. 6 Save America rally that preceded the failed insurrection attempt at the U.S. Capitol by his supporters. Trump called it the first rally of the 2022 election, but no cable news network carried it live, not even Fox News.

The rally came in the middle of a busy few days in June for Trump. Trumps personal attorney Rudy Giuliani had his law license suspended in the state of New York over his false and misleading claims about the 2020 election, and a week ago, The Trump Organization and its Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg were indicted on tax fraud charges and accused as part of a two-year investigation that began when Trump was still in office. Weisselberg and lawyers for the Trump Organization both pleaded not guilty.

The former president has reportedly told others that he wont have to wait until 2024 to return to the White House. The New York Times and other news outlets have reported that Trump expects to be reinstated as president by August.

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Five Candidates Offer Slight Variations On Trumpism In A Contest That Will Test The Ex

WELLINGTON, OhioFor three decades, Rob Portman checked all the boxes of a classic pro-business Ohio Republican: Senior positions in both Bush White Houses. Twelve years in the House. A short stint as a lobbyist. A dozen years in the Senate.

Until recently, Portman-style candidates typified the party in the state, fending off opposition from socially conservative or tea party activists. No more. With Mr. Portman retiring, the fight to succeed him revolves around one question only: Which flavor of Trump is best?

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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.

Adam Schiff Is Worried About American Democracy

Despite Republicans enthusiasm for a Trump comeback, however, the American electorate as a whole is much cooler on the notion. The latest HarrisX/The Hill poll found that registered voters overall opposed Trump running again, 53 percent to 47 percent. Independents were against the idea 58 percent to 42 percent. The margin was even wider according to Morning Consult/Politico and Quinnipiac . Quinnipiac also offered some more inauspicious numbers for the ex-president, such as his 39 percent to 52 percent overall favorable/unfavorable ratings and the fact that Americans felt, 51 percent to 41 percent, that he has had a mainly negative impact on American politics.

But these underwater numbers dont mean Trump would be guaranteed to lose the 2024 general election. While its definitely too early to hang your hat on any 2024 general-election polls, a Selzer & Co./Grinnell College poll conducted Oct. 13-17 found that 40 percent of likely 2024 voters would vote for President Biden, and 40 percent of likely 2024 voters would vote for Trump. Theres plenty of time for those numbers to change, of course, but even against an unpopular Trump, no one should assume Biden, should he run again, will win reelection in a landslide.

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Cancellation Of State Caucuses Or Primaries

The Washington Examiner reported on December 19, 2018, that the South Carolina Republican Party had not ruled out forgoing a primary contest to protect Trump from any primary challengers. Party chairman Drew McKissick stated, “Considering the fact that the entire party supports the president, we’ll end up doing what’s in the president’s best interest.” On January 24, another Washington Examiner report indicated that the Kansas Republican Party was “likely” to scrap its presidential caucus to “save resources”.

In August 2019, the Associated Press reported that the Nevada Republican Party was also contemplating canceling their caucuses, with the state party spokesman, Keith Schipper, saying it “isn’t about any kind of conspiracy theory about protecting the president … He’s going to be the nominee … This is about protecting resources to make sure that the president wins in Nevada and that Republicans up and down the ballot win in 2020.”

Kansas, Nevada and South Carolina’s state committees officially voted on September 7, 2019, to cancel their caucus and primary. The Arizona state Republican Party indicated two days later that it will not hold a primary. These four were joined by the Alaska state Republican party on September 21, when its central committee announced they would not hold a presidential primary.

Virginia Republicans decided to allocate delegates at the state convention.

Republican Voters Were Asked Whom They Would Vote For If The 2024 Gop Presidential Primary Were Held Today

• Among the GOP voters who dont want to see Trump run again, early loyalties appear split between former Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis .
• Overall, the survey found that Trump remains the GOP front-runner by a wide margin, with support from 47 percent of the partys electorate roughly in line with the 50 percent support he secured in an average of four other 2024 presidential primary polls conducted since he lost to Biden in November.
• The survey also tested the strength of Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Florida Sen. Rick Scott and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, all of whom received backing from at most 1 percent of Republican voters.

The poll was conducted Oct. 8-11, 2021, among 1,999 registered voters, with a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

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Voters Were Asked Whether They Believe Donald Trump Should Run For President In 2024

More on the numbers:

• While 67 percent of Republican voters say Trump should run for president in 2024, 29 percent say he should not.
• Eighty-two percent of Republicans view Trump favorably and 17 percent hold unfavorable views, indicating that a small chunk prefer someone new despite their admiration for the 45th president.
• Fifty-nine percent of all voters say Trump should not run in 2024.

Republican Presidential Nomination 2020

The Republican Party selected President Donald Trump as its presidential nominee at the 2020 Republican National Convention, which was held from August 24-27, 2020.

Prior to the national convention, individual state caucuses and primaries were held to allocate convention delegates. These delegates vote at the convention to select the nominee. Trump crossed the delegate threshold necessary to win the nomination1,276 delegateson .

George H.W. Bush was the last incumbent to face a serious primary challenge, defeating political commentator Pat Buchanan in 1992. He was also the last president to lose his re-election campaign. Franklin Pierce was the first and only elected president to lose his party’s nomination in 1856.

Sixteen U.S. presidentsapproximately one-thirdhave won two consecutive elections.

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Sen Mitt Romney Of Utah

A Gallup poll last March found Romney, 74, has a higher approval rating among Democrats than Republicans, so you might figure he doesnt have a prayer in taking his partys nomination again. A February Morning Consult poll, though, had Romney polling ahead of Republicans like Pompeo, Cotton and Hawley. So, youre telling me theres a chance? Yes, a one-in-a-million chance.

The 2012 GOP presidential nominee and his wife, Ann, have five sons. He graduated from Brigham Young University and Harvard Law. Romney is a former Massachusetts governor, and the first person to be a governor and senator from two different states since Sam Houston, who was governor of Tennessee and a senator from Texas. Romney is this years JFK Profile in Courage Award recipient.

Who Are Trump’s 2020 Republican Challengers He Dubbed ‘the Three Stooges’

President Donald Trump recycled his own “Three Stooges” insult against a trio of Republican Party members running against him in the upcoming 2020 GOP presidential primary.

Trump hurled another “The Three Stooges” remark at former Republican South Carolina governor Mark Sanford Monday after he officially entered the race and became the third GOP challenger to Trump in 2020. Trump previously lumped Sanford in with former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh and former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld in late August when the president first compared them to the classic comedic trio, when Sanford began claiming Republicans were “running for the hills” to escape Trump’s “lies.”

On Monday, Trump again brought up the June 2009 story of how Sanford engaged in an extramarital affair which ultimately led to his resignation from office. Although Sanford later was elected to Congress in 2013, the story of his Argentina affair and his bogus claim of being on an “Appalachian Trail” hike made him the focus of jokes and ridicule which he has since tried to own.

In late April, Trump first lobbed the “Three Stooges” insult at Sanford, Weld and Walsh as they all lined themselves up to primary the president next year. He labeled all three “bad” while also first calling out Sanford for the scandal.

In 2018, Sanford owned up to the 2009 scandal in an interview with NBC News after he was defeated by a Trump-backed Republican opponent for congress.

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