'He comes with a lot of baggage': GOP candidates 'thankful' Trump sitting out July 4

Republican candidates are glad Donald Trump is sitting out July 4 from campaigning.

The Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary are still more than six months away, but GOP candidates expressed relief they don't have to contend with the ex-president on the campaign trail as they glad-hand at Independence Day events, reported the New York Times.

“I’m sure people are thankful he’s not out,” said former Rep. Will Hurd of Texas, who is campaigning in New Hampshire after recently entering the GOP presidential primary. “He comes with a lot of baggage.”

The ex-president isn't making appearances in either early-primary state, bucking decades of tradition, but Mike Pence is appearing in Iowa and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is taking part in two parades in New Hampshire, where Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will also campaign.

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“He definitely plays by a different set of rules,” said longtime GOP adviser David Kochel. “But his celebrity and the fact that he was president gives him more flexibility.”

Trump enjoys the name recognition that comes with being an ex-president, which gives him advantages other candidates -- even DeSantis -- don't have.

“Can you imagine Trump walking in the Wolfeboro Fourth of July parade?” said GOP consultant Fergus Cullen. “I don’t think so.”