White House GOP hopeful moves forward as Trump contemplates running

WASHINGTON (AP) – Less than three months after former President Donald Trump left the White House, the race to succeed him has already begun.

Trump’s former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, has launched an aggressive program to visit states that will play a central role in the 2024 Republican primaries and has signed a contract with Fox News Channel. Mike Pence, Trump’s former vice president, has started a political advocacy group, completed a book deal and he will deliver his first speech later this month since leaving the South Carolina office. And Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has courted donors, including in Trump’s backyard, with a featured speaker for the former president at a GOP fundraising retreat dinner this month in Mar-a-Lago, the Florida resort where Trump now lives.

Trump ended his presidency with such a tight grip on Republican voters that party leaders feared he would freeze the field of potential 2024 candidates, delaying preparations as he teased another run. Instead, many Republicans with national aspirations are openly laying the groundwork for campaigns while Trump continues to ponder his own plans

They raise money, recruit people and work to increase their brand awareness. The moves reflect both the fervor in the party to reclaim the White House and the reality that setting up a modern presidential campaign is a year-long effort.

“You build the bow before it rains,” said Michael Steel, a Republican strategist who worked for Jeb Bush’s 2016 presidential campaign, among other things. “They are going to do the things they have to do if he decides not to run.”

Trump is giving them plenty of leeway, at least for now, confident that they pose little threat to his own ambitions.

“It is a free country. People can do whatever they want, ”Trump adviser Jason Miller said in response to the relocations. “However,” he added, “if Present Trump decides to run in 2024, the nomination will be his if you pay attention to public polls of Republican voters.”

Indeed, polls show Trump remains a commander among GOP voters, despite his November loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Republican leaders, including those who hope to one day succeed him, have been careful to take care of his ego and make it clear that they have no plans to challenge his position.

Florida Senator Rick Scott, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, awarded Trump a new “ Champion for Freedom Award ” last weekend, which the group published – complete with a photo of a smiling, golf-clad Trump holding a small, shiny cup – even after former president was Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky in a blasphemy-laden speech.

A day later, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, considered by many to be a top contender for 2024, told The Associated Press that she will sit out the race when Trump runs again.

“I wouldn’t run if President Trump ran, and I would talk to him about it,” she said in Orangeburg, South Carolina. “That’s something we’ll have a conversation about at some point, if that decision is something that needs to be made.”

The reverence is in part an acknowledgment of Trump’s continued power. Even out of the office and without his Twitter megaphone, Trump remains very popular with the GOP base and is backed by an $ 85 million war chest that can be shared with approved candidates, spent on advertising, and used to fund travel and pay for polls and consultants.

Trump is planning to increase his visibility soon, with aides discussing options for holding meetings as soon as possible in the late spring or summer. “There is a pretty strong demand to get President Trump on the road,” Miller said.

Many Republicans recognize that Trump would jump to the front of the pack if he chooses to make a bid to become the only president other than Grover Cleveland to serve two non-consecutive terms. Still, there is deep skepticism in many corners of the party that Trump will lead again.

While people close to him insist he is serious, many see Trump’s continued flirtation as a means of maintaining relevance now that he has settled into a comfortable life after the White House. At Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, he is courted by candidates and greeted by applause and standing ovations as he enters the dining room.

In the meantime, other potential candidates are moving forward, even though many of their aides claim their focus is entirely on next year’s congressional elections and helping Republicans regain control of the House and Senate.

Jeff Kaufmann, the chairman of the Iowa Republican Party, said activity in his state has started even earlier this year than in the past two election cycles, with every candidate on his 2024 potential list already visiting or thinking about it. the first one is on the GOP nomination calendar.

“I don’t know anyone – honestly, no one – who is hesitant to come out,” he said. “Some are now a bit more subtle than others, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be tied to Donald Trump. That may just be tied to their campaign style and don’t want to be too far ahead of their skis until they see if they have any traction. “

Pompeo, arguably the most aggressive to date, is one of those who have already spent time in Iowa, as well as New Hampshire, and this week he addressed Rabbi Shmuley Boteach’s World Values ​​Network in New York, where he with video was introduced by Republican mega donor Miriam Adelson. And on Saturday, along with Scott and DeSantis, he headlined the Palm Beach County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day dinner in Mar-a-Lago.

DeSantis, due for re-election next year, recently hired a top Republican strategist to serve as executive director of the Republican Governor’s Association. DeSantis has also used the race to build an in-depth fundraising network that could support him if he chooses to run nationally.

The party, which for a time seemed paralyzed by divisions, is more united in its opposition to Biden, even as Trump continues to spar with McConnell and work to defeat established parties that voted in favor of his impeachment. Republicans in Congress have found a common cause protesting Biden’s border policy, voting against his COVID-19 bill and pushing for new voting restrictions, while protesting corporate interference in the voting rights debate.

“I think you will find broad agreement in our party that we should have the policy debate,” said Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, House Republican No. 3, who continues to face massive backlash after voting for Trump. accusation. “We need to talk about policy,” she said in a speech to Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service last week.

Regardless of Trump’s final decision, his critics and acolytes say they see the party’s future as dependent on maintaining their appeal to Trump voters, while at the same time reclaiming the suburban voters who abandoned them last fall. .

“I think everyone is trying to find that magical combination of ‘Trump-plus’ by continuing to appeal to the new voters that President Trump has brought to the Republican coalition, while also including some of the university-educated people from the suburbs. that were repelled by his antics, ”Steel said.

Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard in Orangeburg, South Carolina contributed to this report.

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