Global Courant 2023-05-03 16:00:51
As he looks around at the current and potential field of Republican presidential candidates, it seems that former Texas GOP Representative Will Hurd doesn’t like what he sees.
“The GOP will continue to lose to the Democrats if Donald Trump is the nominee,” Hurd told Fox News.
Hurd, a former clandestine CIA officer who was the only black Republican in the House during his tenure in Congress from 2015 to 2021, is not a fan of the former president, so his criticism of Trump comes as no surprise.
But when it comes to 2024, the former president who launched his third consecutive White House campaign in November is the overwhelming front-runner right now in the race for the GOP presidential nomination as the field of actual and likely contenders continues to grow, and Hurd is concerned.
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Former President Donald Trump speaks Tuesday, April 4, 2023 at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, after being charged in New York City earlier today. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP)
“I’m not happy with the field as it stands. No one is effectively tackling Trump or presenting a vision for the future,” Hurd stressed.
Hurd returns later this month for his third visit this year to New Hampshire — which hosts the first primary and second overall contest on the Republican presidential nomination calendar — hinting at a possible 2024 campaign.
“I’ve served my country before and I don’t rule out being able to do it again,” he said.
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Hurd attracted national attention last spring during a highly publicized book tour for “American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done.” In his book, Hurd urged his party to reconsider its political style and offered ideas to reform the American political system and keep the nation competitive with China and other powers.
In November, the day after an expected red wave turned into a trickle in the midterm elections, Hurd posted a Essay of 800 words encouraging Americans angry with the choice of candidates from the two major parties to become more involved in primaries — which are often dominated by Democratic and Republican voters.
Former Republican Representative Will Hurd of Texas greets activists at the New Hampshire GOP annual meeting, January 28, 2023 in Salem, NH (Fox news)
“One of the things we need to recognize, and the Republican Party needs to get to grips with, is that we are losing. I don’t need to tell you that seven of the last eight popular elections have been lost to the Republicans. We lost the House in 2018. We lost the Senate and the White House in 2020. We didn’t take the House back by the margin we should have in 2022,” Hurd stressed in a recent interview with Iowa State’s Fox News Digital. which leads from the GOP primary and caucus schedule.
Looking ahead to next year, Hurd said that “the GOP has a chance in 2024, but we need candidates who can appeal to independents and who can appeal to Democrats. They want that because everyone thinks the country is on the wrong track sit.”
Hurd said the voters he met “want something bigger than themselves. They want to believe in something. They believe our best days are ahead of us, and they want someone who recognizes that we need common sense to deal with this complicated problems.” this complicated world we live in.”
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When asked if he should enter the race in the White House before the first Republican presidential primary debate — a Fox News-hosted showdown in August in Milwaukee, Wisconsin — Hurd agreed, saying, “I think anyone running states, major hurdles have to be met and you have to have organizations and boots on the ground and things like that. Those are all decisions that everyone running for office should be able to consider.”
If Hurd runs, he’ll be up against candidates with much bigger name ID and much bigger war chests — like Trump, former ambassador and former governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley, who launched her campaign in February, and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina , who is expected to announce his candidacy later this month. And Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence are expected to join the White House race in the coming weeks. Also in the race are former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, entrepreneur and conservative commentator Vivek Ramaswamy and businessman Perry Johnson, who have pledged to pour millions of dollars of their personal wealth into their campaigns.
Asked how he can compete, Hurd told Fox News “the person who has the most money doesn’t always win,” emphasizing that “the message matters.”
Former Representative Will Hurd of Texas (center), considering a 2024 Republican presidential run, speaks at a meeting of the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, April 22, 2023, in Clive, Iowa (Fox news)
Hurd spoke to Fox News on the sidelines of the Iowa Faith and Freedom Spring Kick-off, where he and a half-dozen other actual and potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates spoke to more than 1,100 evangelical voters in Hawkeye State, who enjoy inordinate influence in Iowa’s GOP politics.
Hurd’s cheerful message of unity to the crowd stood in stark contrast to many of the other speakers – who highlighted the current political struggles over abortion, transgender rights, “wokeism” and other important social issues.
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But Hurd seemed to keep his distance from those issues — which dominate much of the discussion in a Republican party reformed by Trump and aimed at fighting the left.
“If there’s one thing you should know about me,” Hurd told the audience. “I think America is the best country in the world and we are better together.”
Paul Steinhauser is a political reporter from New Hampshire.
