Thought we needed some equal time for President Trump's Candidacy, his challengers and of the Republicans running for the House and Senate...
Are Any Republicans Running Against Trump In 2020?
Much of the 2020 presidential election coverage thus far has focused on the many, many Democratic candidates aiming to challenge incumbent President Donald Trump. But what about the other Republicans running for president in 2020? Let's take a look at the Republican landscape and the potential challengers to Trump.
So far, there's only one Republican challenger: William Weld. Weld was Governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997 and is aiming to bring "equality, dignity and opportunity for all" (principles of Abraham Lincoln) back to the Republican party. He's strongly anti-Trump, both in rhetoric and in action, asserting that the president should be charged for obstruction of justice. Interestingly, he's pro-choice, which is unusual for conservatives, but he's also pro-tax cuts and pro-small government. In 2016, he was on the Libertarian ticket as VP for Gary Johnson.
Weld has been making the rounds as a very long-shot candidate, continuing to criticize Trump and warning that the sitting president might not leave the White House voluntarily if he loses in 2020. Weld also says he's continuing his fight to keep the more old-school values of the Republican Party intact instead of the cult of personality that he sees in modern-day Republicanism.
There were two other politicians who are also considering a run, although both have now indicated that they won't be diving into the 2020 race. There was also one other potential candidate who briefly seemed like he was entertaining a 2020 bid—former Arizona Senator Jeff Flake, who served from 2013 to 2019—but he has since become a contributor for CNBC, so he's not running. He was and is also staunchly opposed to Trump.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who just won re-election, is also anti-Trump, particularly over the Mueller report. As a moderate Republican, he's pro-tax cutes but also pro-climate change reform, LGBT rights, and gun control, amongst other things.
Hogan freely admitted to Politico, "I don’t see any path to winning a Republican primary against this president, or anybody doing it. But things have a way of changing." He added, "I don’t know what the lay of the land is going to look like this summer, or in the fall." He's also said that he's not going to run unless he sees a path to victory. On June 1, he made it official: No, he's not running.
John Kasich, former Ohio Governor from 2011 to 2019 and presidential candidate in 2016, was also mulling over a potential run. He's more conservative, favoring tax cuts and actually defunding Planned Parenthood in Ohio, but he has some moderate stances, like acknowledging climate change as a threat. He's also building a platform on fixing broken government and bringing civility back to politics.
Trump campaign's small-dollar donations surge, marking major shift for GOP
The Republican Party has long been panned by its detractors as the party of big money and big donors -- but donation patterns have changed measurably under President Trump, a Fox News analysis of campaign finance data shows.
Sixty-one percent of money raised directly by the Trump campaign this election cycle came from small donors (donations under $200), according to Federal Election Commission figures.
That is similar to the proportion Trump raised during the 2016 election cycle, when 65 percent of donations were under $200. And this is dramatically higher than previous Republican nominees. Mitt Romney raised 26 percent of his direct contributions from small donations in 2012, and John McCain raised 25 percent from small donations in 2008.
Campaign finance analysts say the data indicates grassroots enthusiasm for Trump's populist message.
Former GOP Rep. Mark Sanford eyeing challenge to Trump in 2020
Former South Carolina Republican Rep. Mark Sanford, who lost his primary race last year after voicing criticism of President Donald Trump, says he is considering mounting a challenge to the President in 2020. Sanford told CNN's Brianna Keilar on "CNN Right Now" he will explore a possible candidacy over the next month.
He said there is "no discussion of debt, deficit and government spending in Washington these days," when asked why he is considering a run.
"The President said we're not going to touch the very things that drive debt and spending," he said. "So I think that we're walking our way into one heck of a financial storm and there's no discussion."
Sanford said there is "more than enough commentary" about the President's "noxious" and "weird" comments, and his bid would instead focus on debt and spending.
Sanford, whose presidential bid would be a long shot, said he has been privately considering whether to run since leaving office in January. He said he was waiting to see if any other high-profile Republicans like Ohio Gov. John Kasich would primary the President, according to the newspaper. Kasich said he has no intention of running for office again.
If he decides to run, Sanford would join former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, who announced in April he was officially entering the race to challenge Trump in 2020.
The chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, Drew McKissick, said in a statement, "The last time Mark Sanford had an idea this dumb, it killed his Governorship. This makes about as much sense as that trip up the Appalachian trail."
In 2009, Sanford, who was governor of the state at the time, infamously disappeared for a few days and told the public he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. He later admitted he was actually in Argentina carrying on an extramarital affair.
"I'm an imperfect messenger, no doubt about it," Sanford said on CNN's "New Day" Wednesday.
Sanford also does not doubt that Trump would personally attack him by mentioning the incident of marital infidelity should he decide to challenge Trump.
"If he wants to rehash that, he'll rehash that," Sanford said of the President.
Sanford lost the South Carolina Republican primary to state Rep. Katie Arrington last year. The President endorsed Arrington hours before the polls closed in a tweet attacking Sanford for being "very unhelpful to me in my campaign to MAGA." Arrington later lost the election to Democrat Joe Cunningham.
Sanford has been a frequent critic of the President. In 2017, after the shooting at congressional Republicans' baseball practice, Sanford said on MSNBC that Trump is "partially to blame for demons that have been unleashed" in American politics.
Sanford told Politico Magazine the same year that Trump had "fanned the flames of intolerance," and said it was "befuddling" that "facts don't matter" with Trump.
only way trump aint on the main ticket is if something tragic happens.
as much as i despise trump, obviously i dont want that to happen. so while these people trying to challenge him have good intentions....please, stop wasting everyone's time.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Especially when the RNC has already announced they will be backing the President 100 percent.
Actually the RNC is not the Republican Party anymore. The lunatic trump tea party has a firm grip of the RNC right now. If the real republicans had any balls they’d denounced trumps policies and nominate a candidate that can bring our country together not separate us as black, white, and brown.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Thomas Jefferson.
Very cool post 40 at least your trying to get a fair minded discussion ...KUDOS ,,I was reading the Statue of Liberty post and all poster were the lefties on that board and I thought I was on a Antifa chatroom LOL
Yeah, changing American values back to the time when people were nasty and prejudice isn't the fault of the left anymore. I know you can't admit it, but deep down inside that must suck for you.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
And I think that its all the lefts fault , the MSM is squarely in the DNCs pocket and report and spin hate toward cons. IMO. So it must really suck to be you and your ilk and I know that you cant admit it. To prove my point again I never directed my post to you but YOU had to answer by hurling insults at me. Its really sad that this board is your whole life but not mine. PEACE OUT
Sanford also does not doubt that Trump would personally attack him by mentioning the incident of marital infidelity should he decide to challenge Trump.
"If he wants to rehash that, he'll rehash that," Sanford said of the President.
Wait, what? Trump is going to attack somebody over marital infidelity?
You mean like how you won't admit that FOX News is in Trump's pocket and are nothing but his mouthpiece?
I will admit that FOX News kept us informed with the truth while the others made you look foolish over Collusion, Obstruction, Treason and so many other matters.
But go ahead and continue to mock the truth while supporting the liars.
Well how far do you want to turn the clock back? Before civil rights? Before women were allowed to vote? Before the Civil war?
Yeah, it's the fault of the left that many Americans have their rights today and "my ilk" isn't as left wing as some on this board.
That's how I know I'm right where I should be. When people of your ilk argue against me and the furthest wing of the left argue with me too.
You mean like how you won't admit that FOX News is in Trump's pocket and are nothing but his mouthpiece?
I've stated many, many times on this board that both extremes of the media are slanted. Your turn.....
BTW- State one insult I hurled at you? Here will be the first.... #snowflake
You whine just like the president you support.
Are you talking about going back to when laws written by democrats kept blacks from being full citizens?
Yes, back to when laws written by white southern men kept blacks from being full citizens...
They can change from D to R, they can change the church they went to, they can change the town they live in... can't change the fact that they were all white and they were all men and they were all from the south.....
See, you can phrase it however you want, throw it out there as an insult as many times as you want... none of that changes the fact that all of those old school southern racist blue dog democrats would now be republicans. I've been a republican since I was 18 years old... it gets a lot easier when you accept and take ownership of that part of the past.... and the present.
You mean like how you won't admit that FOX News is in Trump's pocket and are nothing but his mouthpiece?
I will admit that FOX News kept us informed with the truth while the others made you look foolish over Collusion, Obstruction, Treason and so many other matters.
But go ahead and continue to mock the truth while supporting the liars.
Yep. Fox should be called mushroom news, because they keep y'all in the dark and feed you bullcrap.
See, you can phrase it however you want, throw it out there as an insult as many times as you want... none of that changes the fact that all of those old school southern racist blue dog democrats are now Republicans.*.
Joe Walsh expected to announce presidential run: report
Former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) is reportedly expected to announce his candidacy for president, becoming the second prominent Republican to challenge President Trump for the party's nomination.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that Walsh, now a radio host, will announce his candidacy as early as the weekend. Walsh argued in an op-ed for the newspaper last week that the president needed a primary challenge from the right and told the Times in an interview that he would announce his intentions before Labor Day.
Walsh would join former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld (R), who announced his candidacy earlier this year, as the second Republican challenger to mount the long-shot challenge against Trump, whose approval rating among Republicans has hovered above 50 percent since he took office in 2017.
The former congressman supported Trump during the 2016 election but has hammered the president for his conduct in the years that followed. Earlier this year, he sharply criticized Trump over behavior outlined in Robert Mueller's report that detailed the results of the special counsel investigation into the Trump campaign.
"I don't know how anybody can read this report and think, 'This is behavior that we want in our president,'" he told CNN's Brooke Baldwin at the time.
"Criminal behavior, who knows?" he added. "But, boy, dishonest, immoral, unethical? Heck yes it is. And I’ll tell you, Brooke, every Republican on Capitol Hill agrees with what I just said. They can’t say that publicly."
Walsh previously served one term in Congress as a Tea Party-aligned Republican and swiped at Weld as a centrist earlier this month in the Times op-ed.
“The president is more vulnerable to a challenge from the right. I’m on the right, and I’m hugely disappointed that challenge hasn’t yet materialized,” Walsh wrote at the time.
Joe Walsh laments past controversial statements while blasting Trump: 'He's a child'
Former Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh announced Sunday morning that he is running for president as a Republican, challenging President Trump in the GOP primary race, while delivering a blistering attack on the president's character and qualifications.
Walsh blasted the president for his social media habits and general behavior.
"I'm running because he's unfit; somebody needs to step up and there needs to be an alternative," Walsh said. "The country is sick of this guy's tantrum -- he's a child."
At the same time, Walsh recognized that he himself is guilty of the same behavior as the president, and even played a part in the division in Washington that led to Trump's election.
"I helped create Trump," the Tea Party favorite told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an interview that aired Sunday morning. "I feel responsible for that."
Walsh claimed that Trump was "tweeting us into a recession" and warned that "he'll tweet us into war."
Stephanopoulos called out Walsh for making outlandish statements of his own, including calling former President Barack Obama a Muslim and an enemy. Walsh said Trump "made me reflect on some of the things I've said in the past," acknowledging that at times he "went beyond the policies and idea" and "said some ugly things about President Obama that I regret."
When asked if he truly believes what he said about Obama, Walsh responded, "God no, and I have apologized for that."
During the same interview, however, Walsh made a series of personal attacks against President Trump.
"He's nuts, he's erratic, he's cruel, he stokes bigotry," Walsh said. He accused Trump of not caring about America, saying, "the only thing he cares about is Trump."
Walsh also cited Trump's 2016 campaign promise to build a wall along the southern border and to have Mexico pay for it, which has not happened.
"He’s incompetent. He has no freakin’ clue what he’s doing," Walsh said.
The Trump campaign had far fewer words in response to Walsh's announcement.
"Whatever," campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said to ABC.
Walsh, who served one term in Congress, acknowledged that he has very little chance of defeating the president in the primaries, but said he wants to promote a different direction for the Republican Party. Earlier in August, Walsh published a New York Times op-ed about the need for Trump to face a primary challenge. He said the positive response to the piece inspired his decision to run.
Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld has previously announced that he is running against Trump in the primaries.
Joe Walsh reportedly wants to troll Trump by recruiting George Conway, the husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, to work on his 2020 campaign
Trolling Trump is by far the best way to get unhinged comments from him.
Let's look at it for a moment.
He makes a silly suggestion like buying Greenland. In response?
The prime minister of Greenland said that was absurd.
So let's look at how unhinged that made Trump, shall we?
"I thought that the prime minister’s statement, that it was 'absurd,' that it was 'an absurd idea,' it was nasty, I thought it was an inappropriate statement," Trump told reporters before departing the White House for a speech to a veterans group in Kentucky. "All she had to do is say 'no, we wouldn’t be interested, but we can’t treat the United States of America the way they treated us under President Obama.'"
"She’s not talking to me, she’s talking to the United States of America. You don’t talk to the United States that way," he added.
No idiot, she was talking to you!
No wonder Erik thinks we should throw tantrums. He learned that from his idol.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
I like Joe Walsh... glad he's running from the right. I seriously doubt he can win but it will be a decent litmus test to see just how "behind Trump" many on the right are if given another choice.
And Ds should be especially excited about this as it will give them a lot of good ammo going into the general election from every R who supports Joe instead of Trump.
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Fox should be called mushroom news, because they keep y'all in the dark and feed you bullcrap.