According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Republican Party strategists and state GOP leaders are girding their loins for what could prove to be a brutal 2024 primary season that kicked off this past Tuesday when Donald Trump announced his intention to make a third run for the presidency.
Assuming the former president doesn't bow out at a later date -- or have his campaign derailed by his legal problems -- Republican insiders who want to put Trump in the rearview mirror expect a battle to rid themselves of him if they have any hope of winning in 2024, according to a few Republicans.
Speaking with the Journal's Alex Leary and John McCormick, a multitude of Republican Party were willing to go on the record about what they see coming down the pike.
Former Iowa GOP county chair Will Rogers stated, "There are a lot of people who I have talked to this week who are ready for a post-Trump Republican Party. We have fatigue from the drama that surrounds President Trump.”
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New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) -- who reportedly is also eyeing the nomination -- remarked, "Buckle in and enjoy the show,” after claiming, "He will never not be in the conversation, but his impact on the global voice of the Republican party, I think, it’s more minimal by the day.”
According to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), who also has presidential dreams, Trump has already taken himself out of the equation by lingering on claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, and added that also goes for any potential nominee who agrees with him.
“The Donald Trump brand is not something they are going to vote for anymore, specifically because of the election denial stuff,” he claimed. “People who bought into this signed their own political death warrant by doing it.”
GOP pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson said Trump has good reason to worry he might be cast aside.
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“While Republicans in Washington have certainly decided that it is wisest to turn the page, it is too soon to say whether Republican primary voters will be ready to do the same,” she said. “One thing that is certain is that GOP primary voters want someone who can win the presidency. If they think another candidate has a better recipe for how to do that moving forward, you can bet they’ll get a serious look.”
GOP strategist Chip Felkel of South Carolina expects the primary to get ugly.
“It is going to be a bloody mess,” he admitted. "The party has to find itself again. As long as he’s in the picture, that’s going to be part of the challenge.”
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