While the CPAC crowd loves him and his poll numbers still look pretty good, former President Donald Trump shows some awareness that he’ll need to fortify his ranks to weather a strong primary challenge from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and others. So far, though, his former press secretary hasn’t enlisted.
Gov. Sarah Sanders recently declined to give Trump her endorsement, The New York Times reports:
On a call weeks ago, Mr. Trump asked Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas, his former White House press secretary, to endorse him, and she replied that she would not yet do so, according to two people briefed on the discussion, who asked not to be named discussing the private call. Mr. Trump was disappointed but not angry in response on the call, the people said.
An aide to the governor did not respond to a request for comment, and Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Mr. Trump, did not address the matter directly, saying that Mr. Trump had support from “everyday Americans” and was “leading by wide margins in poll after poll.”
The Huckabee family has a nose for sniffing out opportunities. It makes sense Sanders would keep her options open to see where the best opportunities lie before casting her lot.
If imitation is the highest form of flattery, DeSantis is nearly blushing at Sanders’ copycat school voucher push, plus the “don’t say gay” component of her Arkansas LEARNS plan that was pioneered in Florida. Sanders even brought in a Florida man, new Education Secretary Jacob Oliva, to enact Florida’s education plan in Arkansas.
One candidate she’s shown no obvious inclination to support is former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, whose comparably moderate and evenhanded style doesn’t draw the crowds like Trump’s professional wrestling bombast.
Already on record as anti-Trump, Hutchinson appeared on CNN today to say that having more voices out there is good for the Republican Party. His comments came after former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan took his name out of the hat, saying he did not want to split votes and inadvertently help Trump secure the nomination in 2024.
Hutchinson seems inclined to keep his own voice among the din, at least for now. With Hogan out of the running, Hutchinson’s very narrow path to victory widened just a tad.