Two and a half months after the midterm elections, traditionally the starting point of the next presidential election cycle, former President Trump is the only major Republican to declare a candidacy for the Republican nomination.
But behind the scenes, far from the spotlight and media headlines, likely or potential Republican White House candidates are making their move, including some of the more high-profile candidates. Some obvious elbow strikes are included.
On Friday, former Vice President Mike Pence’s team secured a top adviser to a perceived rival for the nomination. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley served as United Nations ambassador alongside Pence during the administration of former President Donald Trump.
Tim Chapman, who was executive director of a political advocacy group affiliated with Haley, joined Pence’s team as a senior advisor to the former vice president’s nonprofit, Advancing American Freedom.
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Former Vice President Mike Pence meets with social conservative leaders and activists on the morning of the annual March for Life rally against legalized abortion on January 20, 2023 in Washington, DC.
(Andrea Hanks for Advancing Freedom in America)
“I am grateful to have worked with Nikki Haley and her dedicated team,” Chapman said in a statement.
Chapman and Pence’s working relationship dates back 20 years, when he worked for the conservative Heritage Foundation and Pence was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives.
“Advancing American Freedom is one of the fastest growing and most influential conservative groups in the nation. I am thrilled to be joining the team.”
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Pence called Chapman “one of the conservative movement’s brightest stars, and I’m very excited to have him join the team in advancing the cause of American culture, American opportunity, and American leadership.” ‘ said.
Team Haley issued a heartfelt statement, with Betsy Ankney of Haley’s Stand for America PAC saying, “Chapman is a great person and a great place for him to continue to champion conservative policy ideas. I am happy to have found it,” he said.
Former Ambassador to the United Nations and former Governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley at the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Conference in Las Vegas Nov. 19, 2022.
(Rhonda Churchill/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But Chapman’s theft comes at a time when a potential candidate is beginning recruiting and staffing not just at headquarters, but in key early voting states like Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. GOP 2024 presidential nominating calendar.
Mr. Pence visited New Hampshire last month and was spotted by Fox News walking to meet with several experienced Republican strategists and operatives.
“Whether it’s New Hampshire, Iowa or South Carolina, there’s always a financial component, a press component, a political component,” a source on the former vice president’s wider political trajectory told Fox News. “A big part of that political component is spending time building relationships with people in these early states who knew how to get things done.”
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Hiring and staffing are time-honored traditions in presidential politics.
Ryan Williams, a longtime Republican consultant, said: “Presidential elections have a finite pool of talent available, and a large, multi-candidate field that is fiercely contested for them. We see this before every presidential cycle when there is an open shot in the nomination.” He told Fox News that he is a veteran of multiple presidential campaigns.
“Additionally, while President Trump started out as the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, there is a lot of angst among staff about working under him. Great service, which is why I have a desire to see and join other candidates in this field.”
Williams emphasized: Come in, you have more advantages. ”
File photo of former Ambassador and Governor Nikki Haley (left) and former Vice President Mike Pence
(AP)
Pence and Haley may soon face off in the election campaign.
The former vice president, who has been criss-crossing the country on a book tour for his new memoir, So Help Me God, is making the necessary moves ahead of the start of the presidential campaign.
And Haley, who has publicly considered running for the White House, said a few days ago in an interview with Fox News’ Special Report, “Young people need to step up and really start solving problems. I think so. Can I be its leader? Yes, I think I can be its leader.
Behind the scenes, there have been strained relations between Pence’s campaign and parts of Haley’s campaign, dating back to the 2020 Trump-Pence re-election campaign when rumors surfaced that Haley would become the president’s running mate to replace Pence. .
Former Trump secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who is also likely to run for president, cites in his forthcoming autobiography a conspiracy to have Haley replace Pence.
Haley called such claims “lies and gossip” in a Fox News interview with Brett Byer.
Asked about the episode and the latest comments, a Pence source told Fox News’ Rich Edson, “Lol.”
Trump’s approval rating
More than two years after losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden, Trump remains the Republican Party’s most influential politician and fierce fundraiser. Until recently, he was a decidedly overwhelming frontrunner in his early 2024 Republican presidential nomination ballot.
But in several polls released last month, Trump trailed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Ron DeSantis is the Republican nominee and frontrunner for the White House, whose ties with conservatives across the country have skyrocketed over the past three years.
A major Trump campaign super PAC last week after new findings were released showing the former president holds a double-digit lead in primaries for DeSantis and other potential Republican nominees. advertised the results.
Make America Great Again (MAGA) Inc. said, “Multiple polls conducted last week show President Trump has a commanding lead in the field of potential Republican presidential candidates. Polls confirm that President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party.” He insisted on his release to his supporters.
Former President Trump formally announced his intention to run for president in 2024 at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., Nov. 15, 2022.
(Eva Marie Uzcategi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Following the November elections, the former president promoted a polarizing candidate who had lost major statewide elections, leading to much controversy surrounding his role in the Republicans’ lackluster performance in the midterm elections. attacked. After launching a campaign in mid-November at his club, Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Fla., he received several negative reviews and was criticized for his controversial comments and actions over the past two months. faced a lot of criticism.
But in light of recent election history, leaving Trump out is politically unwise.
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“Saving America from Joe Biden and the Democratic Party requires bold leadership and transformative change. This is not the job of an inexperienced career politician,” said Taylor Gravitch of MAGA Inc. He claimed in a statement to Fox News.
“President Trump will not only dominate the Republican primary, but will unite the nation around his America First agenda that has created intergenerational economic prosperity, world peace, and safe communities. have been exposed and their political future completely obliterated.”
Trump will host his first 2024 election event of the new year in South Carolina next weekend.
