The Republican governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin, is reportedly contemplating the appeals of financiers who are urging him to initiate a last-minute campaign to surpass Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.
According to wealthy donor Thomas Peterffy in an interview with CBS News’ Robert Costa, “He [Youngkin] appears to be leaving the door open. And if Republicans win in Virginia, maybe we can talk him into it. He obviously wants to see what emerges, what the state of play is. The money would be there.”
Youngkin is scheduled to address a gathering of benefactors in mid-October, at which time he will attentively listen to their expressions of support, as reported by Costa (year) in the Washington Post. Several prominent Republicans, such as former Attorney General Bill Barr and media magnate Rupert Murdoch, allegedly provide him with support.
According to Costa, the race hypothesis advanced by Youngkin’s supporters is as follows:
If Virginia’s state legislature goes Republican on Nov. 7, Youngkin could claim he flipped a state that Joe Biden won in 2020. If the governor then signaled interest in exploring a run, supporters could rush to collect signatures for him to get on the ballot in delegate-rich states, many of which have December deadlines. If he got in, he’d make a play for Iowa and build a campaign with an eye on staying in until the convention.
Prior to this, Youngkin has maintained his refusal to participate in the competition. However, in previous statements made earlier this week, he expressed modesty and stated that he does not intend to publicly support any candidate at this time. In the 2021 gubernatorial election, the governor acquired global prominence by defeating Terry McAuliffe, the well-known former governor of Old Dominion.
The requests for Youngkin’s participation in the election are a result of the current candidates’ difficulties in garnering momentum against Trump. This trend manifested in the spring, when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appeared to position himself as Trump’s most prominent and possibly solitary opponent.
Subsequently, Trump’s advantage has become even more entrenched, while the faction within the Republican Party that is not firmly aligned with Trump has fragmented into multiple candidates, albeit with DeSantis maintaining his position as the runner-up.
However, according to polling data, it is clear that the remaining candidates have a realistic chance of success if the number of candidates is reduced and a candidate other than Donald Trump garners widespread support. According to a recent study conducted by CBS News/YouGov, a substantial proportion of Republicans in Iowa (79%) and New Hampshire (77%) — the first two primary states — are considering candidates other than Donald Trump.
In both states, a greater proportion of voters have decided to support an alternative candidate rather than expressing strong intent to vote for Trump.
After the second debate, in which former President Donald Trump declined to participate, the Trump campaign has formally requested that the Republican National Committee cease organizing any further primary debates.
The preceding statement was sent via electronic mail by the press office of Donald Trump shortly before the Wednesday evening debate’s conclusion. As is characteristic of matters pertinent to Trump, the statement is simultaneously predictable and deserving of media attention.
The message was sent by Senior Advisor Chris LaCivita, who described the second debate as “boring and inconsequential” before emphasizing Trump’s strong position in the primary polls. Nonetheless, it appears that he may have greatly embellished the lead.
LaCivita advocated for the cessation of future Republican primary debates in order to cultivate party unity and consolidate their efforts to defeat Biden. Nonetheless, he used an analogy of “train our fire” that is destined to provoke astonishment.
Official Communication from Trump Campaign Senior Advisor Chris LaCivita
“Tonight’s GOP debate was as boring and inconsequential as the first debate, and nothing that was said will change the dynamics of the primary contest being dominated by President Trump. President Trump has a 40- or 50-point lead in the primary election and a 10-point lead over Joe Biden in the general election, and it’s clear that President Trump alone can defeat Biden. The RNC should immediately put an end to any further primary debates so we can train our fire on Crooked Joe Biden and quit wasting time and money that could be going to evicting Biden from the White House.”