Tag: US elections 2024

Nikki Haley hasn’t yet won a GOP contest. But she’s vowing to keep fighting Donald Trump

Post By World , , , , ,

February 20, 2024 09:34 pm | Updated 09:34 pm IST – KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C.

— There are no wins on the horizon for Nikki Haley. Those close to the former United Nations Ambassador, the last major Republican candidate standing in Donald Trump’s path to the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination, are privately bracing for a blowout loss in her home State’s primary election in South Carolina on February 24. And they cannot name a State where she is likely to beat Mr. Trump in the coming weeks.

But ahead of a major address on Feb. 20, Me. Haley told The Associated Press that she will not leave the Republican primary election regardless of Saturday’s result. And backed by the strongest fundraising numbers of her political career, she vowed to stay in the fight against Mr. Trump at least until after Super Tuesday’s slate of more than a dozen contests on March 5.

“Ten days after South Carolina, another 20 States vote. I mean, this isn’t Russia. We don’t want someone to go in and just get 99% of the vote,” Ms. Haley said. “What is the rush? Why is everybody so panicked about me having to get out of this race?”

In fact, some Republicans are encouraging Ms. Haley to stay in the campaign even if she continues to lose — potentially to the Republican National Convention in July. Her continued presence could come in handy if the 77-year-old former president, perhaps the most volatile major party front-runner in U.S. history, becomes a convicted felon or stumbles into another major scandal.

Haley hits back at Trump

As Mr. Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement presses for her exit, a defiant Ms. Haley will outline her rationale for sticking in the race for the foreseeable future. In an interview ahead of the speech, she highlighted Mr. Trump’s legal exposure and criticised MAGA activists who say she’s hurting Mr. Trump’s chances against President Joe Biden in the general election by refusing to drop out.

“That’s about the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. If I get out of the race today, it will be the longest general election in history,” Ms. Haley said. She also pushed back when asked if there is any primary state where she can defeat Mr. Trump. “Instead of asking me what States I’m gonna win, why don’t we ask how he’s gonna win a general election after spending a full year in a courtroom?”

History would suggest Ms. Haley has no chance of stopping Mr. Trump. Never before has a Republican lost even the first two primary contests has gone on the win the party’s presidential nomination. Polls suggest she is a major underdog in her home State and in the 16 Super Tuesday contests to follow. And since he announced his first presidential bid in 2015, every effort by a Republican to blunt Mr. Trump’s rise has failed.

Haley’s spending spree

Yet, she is leaning into the fight. Lest anyone question her commitment, Ms. Haley’s campaign is spending more than $500,000 on a new television advertising campaign set to begin running on Wednesday in Michigan ahead of the State’s Feb. 27 primary, according to spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas.

At the same time, the AP has obtained Ms. Haley’s post-South Carolina travel schedule which features 11 separate stops in seven days across Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado, Utah, Virginia, Washington, D.C., North Carolina and Massachusetts. The schedule also includes at least 10 high-dollar private fundraising events.

Ms. Haley’s expansive base of big- and small-dollar donors is donating at an extraordinary pace despite her underwhelming performance at the polls. That’s a reflection of persistent Republican fears about Mr. Trump’s ability to win over independents and moderate voters in the general election and serious concerns about his turbulent leadership should he return to the White House.

“I’m going to support her up to the convention,” said Republican donor Eric Levine, who co-hosted a New York fundraiser for Ms. Haley earlier this month. “We’re not prepared to fold our tents and pray at the alter of Donald Trump.” “There’s value in her sticking in and gathering delegates, because if and when he stumbles,” he continued, “who knows what happens.” Mr. Levine is far from alone.

Ms. Haley’s campaign raised $5 million in a fundraising swing after her second-place finish in New Hampshire that included stops in Texas, Florida, New York, and California, Perez-Cubas said. Her campaign raised $16.5 million in January alone — her best fundraising month ever — which includes $2 million in small-dollar donations online in the 48 hours after Mr. Trump threatened to “permanently bar” Ms. Haley’s supporters from his MAGA movement.

Ms. Haley raised another $1 million last week in the 24 hours after Trump attacked her husband, a military serviceman currently serving overseas.

The lone member of Congress who has endorsed Ms. Haley, Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., insisted that she would stay in the race even if she is blown out in South Carolina, a State where she lives and served two terms as Governor. “Obviously, you want to win them all, but for those who say it’s going to embarrass her, or end her political career, I disagree. She’s willing to take that risk,” Mr. Norman said in an interview. “I think it’s a courageous thing she’s doing.”

Focus shifts to Super Tuesday primaries

Moving forward, Ms. Haley’s team is especially focused on several Super Tuesday States with open or semi-open Republican primaries that allow a broader collection of voters to participate — especially independents and moderates — instead of just hardcore conservatives.

Mr. Trump, in recent days, has shown flashes of fury in response to Ms. Haley’s refusal to cede the nomination.He called her “stupid” and “birdbrain” in a social media post over the weekend and his campaign released a memo ahead of her speech on Tuesday predicting that she would be forced out of the race after losing her home state on Saturday.

“The true ‘State’ of Nikki Haley’s campaign?” Mr. Trump’s campaign chiefs wrote. “Broken down, out of ideas, out of gas, and completely outperformed by every measure, by Donald Trump.”

Eager to pivot toward a general election matchup against Biden, the Republican former president is taking aggressive steps to assume control of the Republican National Committee, the GOP’s nationwide political machine, which is supposed to stay neutral in presidential primary elections. Last week, Mr. Trump announced plans to install his campaign’s senior adviser Chris LaCivita, as RNC’s chief operating officer and daughter-in-law Lara Trump as the committee’s co-chair.

And there is every expectation that current Chair Ronna McDaniel will step down after Mr. Trump wins South Carolina’s primary and party officials will ultimately acquiesce to Mr. Trump’s wishes. Privately, Ms. Haley’s team concedes there is nothing it can do to stop the Trump takeover.

In the interview, Ms. Haley warned her party against letting Mr. Trump raid the RNC’s coffers to pay for his legal fees while taking a short-term view of Mr. Trump’s political prospects.

Trump’s standing will fundamentally change if he is a convicted felon before Election Day, Ms. Haley said, acknowledging that such an outcome is a very real possibility as Trump navigates 91 felony charges across four separate criminal cases. “People are not looking six months down the road when these court cases have taken place,” Ms. Haley said. “He’s going to be in a courtroom all of March, April, May and June. How in the world do you win a general election when these cases keep going and the judgments keep coming?”

As for her path forward, Ms. Haley said she’s focused only on her plans through Super Tuesday. As for staying in the race through the July convention, she said she hasn’t thought that far ahead.

Some voters wish she would. Gil White, a 75-year-old Republican veteran from James Island, South Carolina, said he was a Trump loyalist until the former president criticized Haley’s husband, a military serviceman, last week. “For him to disparage a military man in deployment is just too much,” he said while attending a rally in support of Ms. Haley in Kiawah Island over the weekend.

He acknowledged concerns about Ms. Haley’s chances against Mr. Trump, but said he wants her to stay in the race even if she continues to lose. “I want the choice,” he said.

Source link

#Nikki #Haley #hasnt #won #GOP #contest #shes #vowing #fighting #Donald #Trump

Heading into the presidential election, America is angry and worried

Post By World , , , , ,

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent in any way the editorial position of Euronews.

Donald Trump leads confidently in the swing states, but the November presidential election still holds serious challenges, John McLaughlin writes.

ADVERTISEMENT

In swing states, Donald Trump’s advantage is currently five percentage points: 48% would vote for him, and 43% for Joe Biden.

If the former Democrat, now running as an independent, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is also on the ballot, Trump’s advantage is even greater, rising to eight points: 42% support Trump, 34% support Biden, and 11% support Kennedy.

However, the day when a decision must be made is still far away.

What do the numbers say?

McLaughlin & Associates conducted a survey among 1,600 likely general election voters in 17 election battleground states between 16-21 January.

We found that a vast majority of American voters, 73%, believe that things are going in the wrong direction in the country, while only 27% believe that things are going well. 

This is especially true concerning the economy: half of those living in swing states reported that their lives got worse since Joe Biden became president, 33% said their situation had not changed based on their admission, and only 17% reported that their standard of living had improved.

Currently, 45% of voters feel anger or disappointment when they think about the state of the country, and 41% feel concern or fear. Their share has increased by six percentage points since last year. Only 14% feel pride, and their share has gone down by four points since 2023.

The details of the research also reveal that Donald Trump is the “leader of the angry” today. 

Among those who feel anger and disappointment, Trump’s advantage over Biden is nearly 30 points (in this round, Trump received 60% of the votes, with Biden scoring only 31%). 

However, among those who feel concern and fear, the competition is much closer: Biden leads by six points, 48/42. Yet, the proportion of the latter group among American voters is on the rise.

The situation is understandable in many ways. The explosion of inflation, the subsequent economic uncertainty, uncontrolled illegal immigration, the deterioration of public safety in American cities, or the significant increase in the number and risks of armed conflicts raging around the world all increase the concerns and fears of voters. 

The world seems increasingly unpredictable. We live in an anxious, uncertain age.

Winning over moderate voters is the path to victory

As the presidential election approaches, those moderate, middle-of-the-road voters, or voters who identify themselves as independent, who are otherwise not interested in politics, become more and more active in the political sense. But in this case, their opinion can be of decisive importance. 

In this segment, fears and worries make up the majority: 45% of “moderate” voters feel worried about the state of the country, 39% feel anger and dissatisfaction, and only 16% feel pride. 

By mobilizing those in the middle, the so-called “moderate” voters, the proportion and importance of those who are looking for protection and security in an increasingly uncertain world in economic and political terms can further increase. 

Winning over these voters is a political challenge for both Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, for example, faced similar challenges in 2010, before his re-election. 

At that time, Hungary was suffering from the consequences of the great global economic crisis of 2008, and voters were angry and desperate. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Then, Orbán’s campaign focused on “hearing, seeing, and feeling the economic fears and concerns of Hungarians”, and the way out was through the removal of the ruling left-wing government, to achieve a “strong Hungary”. 

Orbán won the election because, in addition to the angry right-wing voters, he also paid attention to those moderates who were worried, felt insecure, and feared for the future of their families.

A battle of characters ahead

The American presidential election is always a battle of characters.

Voters in battleground states see Joe Biden as a weak leader. According to 74%, he is a weak leader. He is considered too old and many question his mental health (82% of voters). 

However, it is also undeniable that many people see him as a kind of “grandparent, grandfather” figure who has seen, experienced, and understands a lot. He understands those who are afraid, afraid for the future of their family and the country.

ADVERTISEMENT

As the leader of “angry Americans”, Donald Trump is undeniably strong, charismatic, and unafraid to fight. However, it is important to whom you are fighting for and why. 

You can fight China, the corrupt bureaucracy in Washington, or even the radical left — all of this is far from the everyday life of many. 

We could also say that all this is just “politics about politics”. Those who are worried and anxious about the future need a strong leader who uses his power to protect them. American families, early risers, decent workers — the backbone of America.

Right now, however, Trump is an advocate for the angry. It will become clear during the campaign whether he will be able to appeal to those who fear for their own or their family’s future. 

Even a near-equal result with Biden in this group would tip the November elections in Trump’s direction.

ADVERTISEMENT

A strong leader to arise?

Donald Trump now needs productive fights where he can stand up to protect American families from crime, the risk of terrorism, and drug trafficking flowing in through open borders, while also making sure that those who work hard can also make a living, not only the corrupt elite in Washington. 

His fight would also consist of preventing the dollar from losing its purchasing power while making sure homes can run on affordable energy. 

These are struggles where moderate voters can feel that the strong leader not only defeats his political opponents, but is also useful to them, because he fights for them, protects them, and can create security.

For Trump, fighting such productive conflicts could lead to another victory by winning over moderate voters.

John McLaughlin is CEO of McLaughlin & Associates.

ADVERTISEMENT

At Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at [email protected] to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation.

Source link

#Heading #presidential #election #America #angry #worried

Can Donald Trump meet raising expectations heading into the Iowa caucuses?

Post By World , , , , , , ,

When Donald Trump launched his 2024 presidential campaign after a disappointing midterm election for Republicans, his trajectory was something of a mystery. However, seven days before Iowa’s kick-off caucuses, his standing among the GOP faithful is hardly in doubt.

Voters, campaign operatives and even some of the candidates on the ground overwhelmingly agree that the Republican former President is the prohibitive favourite heading into the January 15 caucuses — whether they like it or not.

“Everybody sees the writing on the wall,” said Angela Roemerman, a 56-year-old Republican from Solon, Iowa, as she waited for former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley to arrive for a weekend rally at Field Day Brewing Co. in North Liberty. “It’s a little depressing,” Ms. Roemerman said, as her order of tortilla chips arrived, lamenting “all the drama” surrounding Mr. Trump. “We don’t need another four years. But Mr. Trump’s going to win.”

Just beneath all the perceived certainty about Mr. Trump’s victory, however, lies serious risks for the front-runner. He continues to fuel sky-high expectations, despite questions about the strength of his voter-turnout operation and stormy weather forecasts that could dissuade supporters from showing up.

Few believe such issues will lead to a straight-up loss next week in Iowa, but in the complicated world of presidential politics, a win is not always a win. Should Mr. Trump fail to meet expectations with a resounding victory in Iowa, he would enter New Hampshire and South Carolina much more vulnerable.

Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis continue to pour millions of dollars into Iowa advertising as they cross the State, backed by well-funded allies with robust get-out-the-vote operations, in a relentless effort to narrow Mr. Trump’s margin of victory.

At the same time, Mr. Trump’s team privately acknowledges that it has cut back on its door-knocking, get-out-the-vote operation heading into the final week. They insist they can ensure his loyalists show up on caucus day more effectively by relying on rallies, phone calls and a peer-to-peer text message programme. That’s even as allies of DeSantis and Haley push ahead with traditional get-out-the-vote plans at voters’ doorways.

Momentum was building for Haley, says New Hampshire Governor

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, who has endorsed Ms. Haley and spent the weekend campaigning with her across Iowa, conceded that “it will be tough” to beat Mr. Trump in the State.

“There’s obviously a strong implication Trump’s gonna likely win the Iowa caucus,” Sununu told The Associated Press, even as he insisted momentum was building for Ms. Haley that will show up more clearly in New Hampshire’s Jan. 23 first-in-the-nation primary. “In New Hampshire, she clearly has a chance to do something no one thought was possible, which was to beat Trump in an early state.”

Aware of the risks, the former President’s team is scrambling to lower expectations for Iowa. In recent days, Mr. Trump’s advisers have been quick to remind reporters — at least privately — that no Republican presidential candidate has won a contested Iowa caucus by more than 12 points since Bob Dole in 1988.

The Trump campaign sees Dole’s margin as the floor for Mr. Trump’s victory, a senior adviser told The Associated Press, requesting anonymity to share internal discussions. The adviser described the mood of the campaign as confident but not comfortable, acknowledging questions about the strength of rival organisations and, as always, the weather, which could affect turnout if there is snow or extreme cold.

Impact of cold weather

Heavy snowfall, blowing and drifting snow and dangerous travel conditions are expected on Monday and Tuesday of this week to be followed by frigid temperatures that could drift below 0 degrees (-17 degrees Celcius) by caucus day.

The weather has already forced the Trump campaign to cancel multiple appearances by Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders and her father, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who had been scheduled to court Iowa voters on Mr. Trump’s behalf Monday.

Ever defiant, Mr. Trump projected confidence as he raced across the state for a series of “commit to caucus” rallies over the weekend before returning to his Florida estate. He’s scheduled to return to Iowa on Wednesday for a Fox News town hall.

At every stop over the weekend, he talked about his dominant standing in the polls. He’s also frequently invoked claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him by voter fraud, a claim refuted by the courts and his own administration but one that fuelled a attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Still, weather is the more immediate concern heading into the final full week of campaigning in Iowa.

Mr. Trump told an audience of more than 2,000 in Clinton on Jan. 6 night that his aides told him he shouldn’t worry about cold weather, although his opponents probably should. “The other side will never vote, because they don’t have any enthusiasm,” Mr. Trump said. Stoking the crowd, he added, “We won’t lose one vote, because our people, they’re going to walk on glass.”

That’s not to say there’s no risk. “The biggest risk is you say, you know, ‘We’re winning by so much, darling, let’s stay home and watch television,’” he said the night before in Mason City. “And if enough people do that, it’s not going to be pretty.”

Trump leads, according to poll

Indeed, Mr. Trump has a loyal base of support but he’s also targeting a significant number of first-time caucus participants who don’t necessarily know where to go next Monday or how the complicated caucus process works. The events feature a series of speeches and votes that can span multiple hours, and in many cases, they’re not held at regular polling locations.

A Des Moines Register poll conducted in December found that 63% of likely first-time Republican caucus participants say Mr. Trump is their first choice. One of the first-time participants may be William Caspers, a 37-year-old farmer from Rockwell, Iowa. He said he had never attended a political event of any kind before Mr. Trump’s Mason City event on Jan. 5.

Trump’s campaign machinery

While he’s supporting Mr. Trump “100%” in 2024, he said he was only “pretty sure” he would caucus for him. “Where is it going to be? Where do I go? I’m kind of confused about that,” Mr. Caspers said. He noted that he was in the bathroom when a caucus explainer video played on the big screen at the front of the event hall. Several hundred other voters were still in line outline during the video. “So, the caucus is this Monday?” he asked an AP reporter, who clarified that it was Jan. 15.

Not far away, Jackie Garlock, of nearby Clear Lake, was wearing a white hat indicating her status as one of Mr. Trump’s “caucus captains.” The campaign has promoted its efforts to recruit and train hundreds of such captains, who will represent the campaign within a given precinct on Monday night.

Ms. Garlock said she only briefly attended one virtual training on Zoom, which she described as largely a pep rally. She also said that she’s not particularly good or experienced at political organising. But she’s not worried. “I have a lot of confidence,” she said of Mr. Trump’s chances next week as she scanned the crowded North Iowa Events Center. “I just look at the number of people who are here and I think, how can they all be wrong?”

Big money spent on attack advertisements

Meanwhile, Ms. Haley and Mr. DeSantis are spending money to attack each other on Iowa television, although Ms. Haley has had a decided spending advantage in the caucus’ final days. Overall, Ms. Haley and her allies are on pace to spend more than $15 million in Iowa television advertising this month alone; while DeSantis’ team is spending less than $5 million, according to an AP analysis of data from the media tracking firm AdImpact.

Virtually none of their attack advertisements are directed at Mr. Trump. That’s even as Ms. Haley’s primary super PAC is running multiple ads describing DeSantis as “a dumpster fire,” and one of Mr. DeSantis’ evolving group of super PACs recently launched an ad campaign calling Ms. Haley “Tricky Nikki.”

Mr. Trump and his allies are spending nearly $10 million this month in Iowa. And he’s shifted some of his attacks away from Mr. DeSantis and toward Ms. Haley. But he’s also investing in ads targeting Democratic President Joe Biden, his likely general election opponent.

Of all the candidates on the ground in Iowa this week, only DeSantis is predicting an outright victory over Mr. Trump. He moved his entire campaign leadership to the state in recent months and visited each of Iowa’s 99 counties.

“You’re going to see an earthquake on Jan. 15,” DeSantis told dozens of supporters at a downtown bar in Dubuque.

Source link

#Donald #Trump #meet #raising #expectations #heading #Iowa #caucuses

Republicans nominate Mike Johnson for House speaker after Emmer’s withdrawal, desperate to end chaos

Post By World , , , , , ,

Republicans chose Rep. Mike Johnson as their latest nominee for House speaker late Tuesday, hours after an earlier pick, Rep. Tom Emmer, abruptly withdrew in the face of opposition from Donald Trump and hardline GOP lawmakers.

Johnson of Louisiana, a lower-ranked member of the House GOP leadership team, becomes the fourth Republican nominee after Emmer and the others fell short in what has become an almost absurd cycle of political infighting since Kevin McCarthy’s ouster as GOP factions jockey for power.

Refusing to unify, far-right members won’t accept a more traditional speaker and moderate conservatives don’t want a hardliner. During private balloting, Mr. Johnson won a majority, but ahead of an expected House floor vote Wednesday the nominee will need almost all Republicans to win the gavel.

“Mike! Mike! Mike!” lawmakers chanted at a press conference afterward, surrounding Johnson and posing for selfies in a show of support.

Three weeks on, the Republicans have been frittering away their majority status — a maddening embarrassment to some, democracy in action to others, but not at all how the House is expected to function.

Anxious and exhausted, Republican lawmakers are desperately trying to move on. “Pretty sad commentary on governance right now,” said Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark. “Maybe on the fourth or fifth or sixth or 10th try we’ll get this thing right.”

After he withdrew Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Emmer briskly left the building where he had been meeting privately with Republicans. He said later at the Capitol that Trump’s opposition did not affect his decision to bow out.

“I made my decision based on my relationship with the conference,” he said, referring to the GOP majority. He said he would support whomever emerges as the new nominee. “We’ll get it done.”

Mr. Trump, speaking as he left the courtroom in New York where he faces business fraud charges, said his “un-endorsement” must have had an impact on Mr. Emmer’s bid.

“He wasn’t MAGA,” said Trump, the party’s front-runner for the 2024 presidential election, referring to his Make America Great Again campaign slogan.

House Republicans returned behind closed doors, where they spend much of their time, desperately searching for a leader who can unite the factions, reopen the House and get the U.S. Congress working again.

Attention quickly turned to Johnson, who was the second highest vote-getter on Tuesday morning’s internal ballots.

A lawyer specializing in constitutional issues, Johnson had rallied Republicans around Trump’s legal effort to overturn the 2020 election results.

Elevating Johnson to speaker would giving Louisianans two high-ranking GOP leaders, putting him above Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who was rejected by hardliners in his own bid as speaker.

But hardliners swiftly resisted Johnson’s bid and a new list of candidates emerged. Among them was Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida, a Trump ally who ran third on the morning ballot, and a few others.

In the end, Johnson won 128 votes on the evening ballot, more than any other candidate. McCarthy, who was not on the ballot, won a surprising 43 votes.

One idea circulating, first reported by NBC News, was to reinstall McCarthy as speaker with hardline Rep. Jim Jordan in a new leadership role.

It was being pitched as a way to unite the conference, lawmakers said, but many said it would not fly.

“I think sometimes it’s good to have fresh ideas and fresh people,” said Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind.

While Mr. Emmer won a simple majority in a morning roll call behind closed doors — 117 votes — he lost more than two dozen Republicans, leaving him far short of what will be needed during a House floor tally ahead.

Mr. Trump allies, including the influential hard-right instigator Steve Bannon, have been critical of Mr. Emmer. Some point to his support of a same-sex marriage initiative and perceived criticisms of the former president. Among the far-right groups pressuring lawmakers over the speaker’s vote, some quickly attacked Mr. Emmer.

Having rejected the top replacements, Scalise and the Trump-backed Jordan, there is no longer any obvious choice for the job.

With Republicans controlling the House 221-212 over Democrats, any GOP nominee can afford just a few detractors to win the gavel.

“We’re in the same cul-de-sac,” said Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., the chairman of the far-right House Freedom Caucus.

Yet Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., one of the hardliners, said, “This is what democracy looks like.”

Republicans have been flailing all month, unable to conduct routine business as they fight amongst themselves with daunting challenges ahead.

The federal government risks a shutdown in a matter of weeks if Congress fails to pass funding legislation by a Nov. 17 deadline to keep services and offices running. More immediately, President Joe Biden has asked Congress to provide $105 billion in aid — to help Israel and Ukraine amid their wars and to shore up the U.S. border with Mexico. Federal aviation and farming programs face expiration without action.

Coming in a steady second in the morning balloting, Johnson offered his full support to Emmer. Others were eliminated during multiple rounds of voting, including Donalds and Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, a conservative leader and former McDonald’s franchise owner who plied his colleagues with hamburgers seeking their support. Reps. Austin Scott of Georgia, Jack Bergman of Michigan, Pete Sessions of Texas, Gary Palmer of Alabama and Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania also dropped out.

Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, the hard-right leader who engineered McCarthy’s ouster, has said several of those who were running — Hern, Donalds or Johnson — would make a “phenomenal” choice for speaker.

Nevertheless, Gaetz voted for Emmer, though others who joined in ousting McCarthy did not.

Many hardliners have been resisting a leader who voted for the budget deal that McCarthy struck with Biden earlier this year, which set federal spending levels that far-right Republicans don’t agree with and now want to undo. They are pursuing steeper cuts to federal programs and services with next month’s funding deadline.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said she wanted assurances the candidates would pursue impeachment inquiries into Biden and other top Cabinet officials.

During the turmoil, the House is now led by a nominal interim speaker pro tempore, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., the bow tie-wearing chairman of the Financial Services Committee. His main job is to elect a more permanent speaker.

Some Republicans — and Democrats — would like to simply give McHenry more power to get on with the routine business of governing. But McHenry, the first person to be in the position that was created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks as an emergency measure, has declined to back those overtures.

Source link

#Republicans #nominate #Mike #Johnson #House #speaker #Emmers #withdrawal #desperate #chaos

Donald Trump kicks off 2024 US elections bid with events in early voting states

Post By World , , , , ,

Former President Donald Trump is set to kick off his 2024 White House bid on January 28 with visits to a pair of early-voting states, his first campaign events since launching his bid more than two months ago.

Mr. Trump will be the keynote speaker at the New Hampshire GOP’s annual meeting before travelling to Columbia, South Carolina, where he is set to unveil his leadership team at the Statehouse.


Also Read | Comeback bid: On Donald Trump

The states hold two of the party’s first three nominating contests, giving them enormous power in selecting its nominee.

Mr. Trump and his allies hope the events will offer a show of force behind the former President after a sluggish start to his campaign that left many questioning his commitment to running again.

Trump 2024 campaign has official begun

In recent weeks, his backers have been reaching out to political operatives and elected officials to secure support for Trump’s reelection at a critical juncture when other Republicans are preparing their own expected challenges.

“The gun is fired, and the campaign season has started,” said Stephen Stepanek, chair of the New Hampshire Republican Party and the co-chair of Trump’s 2016 campaign in the State.


Also Read | Trump 2024 campaign prepares for post-midterms launch

While Mr. Trump remains the only declared 2024 presidential candidate, a host of potential challengers, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, are widely expected to launch campaigns in the coming months.

In South Carolina, Governor Henry McMaster, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, and several members of the state’s congressional delegation plan to attend Saturday’s event. But Mr. Trump’s team has struggled to line up support from state lawmakers, even some who eagerly backed him during previous runs.

Some have said that more than a year out from primary balloting is too early to make endorsements or that they’re waiting to see who else enters the race. Others have said it is time for the party to move past Mr. Trump to a new generation of leadership.

Republican State Rep. R.J. May, vice chair of South Carolina’s State House Freedom Caucus, said he wasn’t going to attend Mr. Trump’s event because he was focused on the Freedom Caucus’ legislative fight with the GOP caucus. He indicated that he was open to other GOP candidates in the 2024 race. “I think we’re going to have a very strong slate of candidates here in South Carolina,” said Mr. May, who voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020. He added, “I would 100% take a Donald Trump over Joe Biden.”

Conservatives express concern over abortion comments

Dave Wilson, president of conservative Christian nonprofit Palmetto Family, said some conservative voters may have concerns over Mr. Trump’s recent comments that Republicans who opposed abortion without exceptions had cost the party critical wins in the 2022 midterm elections.

“It gives pause to some folks within the conservative ranks of the Republican Party as to whether or not we need the process to work itself out,” said Mr. Wilson, whose group hosted Pence for a speech in 2021. He added: “You continue to have to earn your vote. Nothing is taken for granted.”

Acknowledging that Mr. Trump “did some phenomenal things when he was president,” like securing a conservative U.S. Supreme Court majority, Mr. Wilson said South Carolina’s GOP voters may be seeking “a candidate who can be the standard-bearer not only for now but to build ongoing momentum across America for conservatism for the next few decades.”

But Gerri McDaniel, who worked on Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign and will be attending Saturday’s event, rejected the idea that voters were ready to move on from the former President.


Also Read | ‘Everyone wants me to run in 2024’: Trump

“Some of the media keep saying he’s losing his support. No, he’s not,” she said. “It’s only going to be greater than it was before because there are so many people who are angry about what’s happening in Washington.”

Trump campaign may face fundraising challenges

The South Carolina event, at a government building, surrounded by elected officials, is in some ways off-brand for a former reality television star who typically favours mega rallies and has tried to cultivate an outsider image.

But the reality is that Mr. Trump is a former President who is seeking to reclaim the White House by contrasting his time in office with the current administration.

Rallies are also expensive, and Mr. Trump, who is notoriously frugal, added new financial challenges when he decided to launch his campaign in November — far earlier than many allies had urged.

That leaves him subject to strict fundraising regulations and bars him from using his well-funded leadership PAC to pay for such events, which can cost several million dollars.

Officials expect Mr. Trump to speak in the second-floor lobby of the Statehouse, an opulent ceremonial area between the House and Senate chambers.

The venue has played host to some of South Carolina’s most notable political news moments, including Ms. Haley’s 2015 signing of a bill to remove the Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse grounds and Governor Henry McMaster’s 2021 signing of legislation banning abortions in theSstate after around six weeks of pregnancy. The State Supreme Court recently ruled the abortion law unconstitutional, and Mr. McMaster has vowed to seek a rehearing.

Mr. Trump’s nascent campaign has already sparked controversy, most particularly when he had dinner with Holocaust-denying white nationalist Nick Fuentes and the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, who had made a series of antisemitic comments.


Also Read | A lacklustre American presidential race in the making

Mr. Trump also was widely mocked for selling a series of digital trading cards that pictured him as a superhero, a cowboy and an astronaut, among others.

At the same time, he is the subject of a series of criminal investigations, including a probe into the discovery of hundreds of documents with classified markings at his Mar-a-Lago club and whether he obstructed justice by refusing to return them, as well as state and federal examinations of his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

Still, Mr. Trump remains the only announced 2024 candidate, and early polling shows he’s a favourite to win his party’s nomination.

Mr. Stepanek, who is required to remain neutral as New Hampshire party chair, dismissed the significance of Trump’s slow start, which campaign officials say accounts for time spent putting infrastructure in place for a national campaign.

In New Hampshire, he said, “there’s been a lot of anticipation, a lot of excitement” for Trump’s reelection. He said Trump’s diehard supporters continue to stand behind him.

“You have a lot of people who weren’t with him in 15, ’16, then became Trumpers, then became never-Trumpers,” Mr. Stepanek said. “But the people who supported him in New Hampshire, who propelled him to his win in 2016 in the New Hampshire primary, they’re all still there, waiting for the president.”

Source link

#Donald #Trump #kicks #elections #bid #events #early #voting #states