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But if Trump does not run for president in 2024 or if his popularity within the party fades by then New Hampshire will be a critical testing ground, and potential competitors are already assessing Sununus potential pull. Thats because, following the Iowa caucuses, any candidate resting their candidacy on a more moderate, nonevangelical base of support potential candidates such as former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie or Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan will desperately need a strong showing in New Hampshire, where moderates traditionally go to win over a more socially moderate Republicans and independents.

Im just looking at the path forward, said one adviser to Hogan. Sununu causes chaos for a large part of the 2024 field if he runs.

Even if Sununu doesnt run, he will be a highly sought-after endorser in the state. For potential candidates, said Wayne MacDonald, a New Hampshire lawmaker and former state Republican Party chair, Sununu will be, at that point, a fourth-term Republican governor. He has a great organization and a strong base of support, and that endorsement is going to be very important.

Trump, perhaps, is the one exception to that rule. He easily won the New Hampshire primary in 2016 and again in 2020, and its unclear if any Republican Sununu included could defeat him there.

Lewandowski said at a Mar-a-Lago event earlier this month that if Sununu does run against Trump in 2024, there is 0.000001 percent chance that Chris Sununu will be the Republican nominee for president of the United States.

Lewandowski suggested there is still time for Trumpworld to jettison Sununu with the filing deadline not until June.

I think Chris is very vulnerable in a Republican primary, so well see if somebody runs against him, he said.

Sununu has not been as critical of Trump as some Republicans, like Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse or Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Sununu supported Trump in 2020 and insists he is not anti-Trump.

But Sununu has rejected Trumps baseless claims that the 2020 election was rigged, calling him misinformed. In another break with Trump, the governor said people convicted of participating in the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6 should not be pardoned, and he said he didnt need Trump to campaign with him in New Hampshire.

Then came the Gridiron Club dinner in Washington, D.C., where Sununu later said he was simply telling jokes.

The needling of the former president which is frowned on under the GOPs current iteration does not appear to have hurt Sununu. In the latest Saint Anselm College poll, Sununu ranks favorably among men, women and people of all age groups and education levels in New Hampshire. Despite his moderate profile, he is viewed favorably by 86 percent of Republicans, and more than 80 percent of people who describe themselves as very conservative.

Hes navigated the Trump stuff, just objectively, politically really well, said Fergus Cullen, a former New Hampshire Republican Party chair. He knows when to hug him, and when to push him away.

Meridith McGraw and Stephanie Murray contributed to this report.

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The one Republican Trump can't touch - POLITICO

Aside from racial gerrymandering, suppressing votes, underfunding schools, upholding a biased criminal justice system, denying a womans right to choose, preventing access to healthcare, undermining democracy, opposing reparations and thwarting every effort for equal rights, perhaps the most preposterous part of conservative mythology is the insidiously racist idea of bootstraps.

According to this wholly absurd construct, hard work and hard work, alone is a magical key that unlocks the promises of the American dream. And, if one accepts this premise, then the converse must also be true. Anyone who doesnt achieve their dreams is simply not working hard enough.

Although pulling yourself up by your bootstraps was originally intended to be an obviously sarcastic phrase suggesting an impossible accomplishment, the concept has become a key component of the Republican ideology, especially as it relates to racial inequality. Apparently, the infallible founding fathers and the heralded leaders of the past wasted 250 years constructing laws, traditions, practices and a constitution that provided an economic, political and social advantage to the white majority when all they had to do was put their noses to the grindstone. Americas white majority benefited from human trafficking, free labor, segregation, redlining and the whole of government-sanctioned racism. Yet, to fulfill the promise that America offers, all Black people ever needed is a strong back, a good idea and an unfailing work ethic.

For Black Republicans, accepting this sliver of ahistorical fiction is the first step to ascending to a position of power and prominence in the Grand Old Party. Counterbalancing the accusations of racism lobbed at the Republican party is the main job of Black conservatives. To do this, they are required to fabricate a life story that serves as a parable and proof of the bootstrapping thesis.

Even before Herschel Walker decided to vie for the Georgia Senate seat occupied by Senator Raphael Warnock, the NFL running-back-turned-bootstrap-evangelist made a habit of explaining how his work ethic and a dont-quit mentality led to accomplishments as a student, multimillionaire and a business mogul. There was only one problem with Walkers backstory:

It doesnt seem to be true.

According to investigations by the Associated Press, Georgia Public Broadcasting and the Atlanta Constitution-Journal, there is no evidence that supports Walkers claims to own the largest minority-owned food business in America, his supposed net worth of $65m, or his proprietary mist that can kill any Covid in your body. It is possible that Walker isnt a liar; maybe he simply meant to inspire others with the story about how he worked his way out of poverty to graduate in the top 1% of his class at the University of Georgia Except he didnt graduate from college.

Although he was hailed as the only hope of regaining the invaluable Senate seat, Walkers Republican challengers are now convinced that his fabricated backstory, and domestic violence allegations by his ex-wife, have become a risk to the party, according to a report by Politico. Now that Walkers con has been exposed, he is of no use to his Republican colleagues. The fairytale life that was once his biggest attribute has become baggage.

The South Carolina senator Tim Scott is taking note. For years, he has repeatedly extolled the values of hard work as part of his origin story. He often recounts the tale of his poor, illiterate grandfather who Scott conveniently forgets to mention owned 900 acres in South Carolina. While Scott once told me during an interview that he struggles to come up with a concise definition of what systemic racism looks like, he confidently told the world that America is not a racist country. And, according to Axios, Scott is now preparing to give a speech that warns against teaching kids that they are oppressors. How convenient. Im sure it has nothing to do with the fact that Scotts name has been bandied about as a presidential candidate.

Perhaps Americas highest-ranking Black Republican is Clarence Thomas. During his rise to the supreme court, Thomas loved to tell the tale of how his sister was content to survive on government assistance while he embraced the all-American ethos of hard work. She gets mad when the mailman is late with her welfare check, Thomas told a group of Black conservatives in 1980. Whats worse is that now her kids feel entitled to the check too. They have no motivation for doing better or getting out of that situation. It turns out, it was all a lie. But of course, it served its purpose. As a supreme court justice, Thomass life has turned into a liability that may cost his party a supreme court seat.

What has happened too often is that people who seemingly mean well have promoted things that do not encourage development of any innate talent in people, explained another Black bootstrapper, Ben Carson. Hence we have generation after generation living in dependent situations. Its not that theyre bad people, its that this is what theyve been given, and its all they know in some cases. As secretary of the housing and urban development department, Carson, a former presidential candidate, pledged to reverse policies that created a culture of dependency in urban communities. Carson didnt mention that those same policies provided shelter, food and even the ability to see clearly during his quest to become one of the most celebrated neurosurgeons in American history. But, alas, he has been discarded, too.

Unlike their white counterparts, Black Republicans are required to promote the idea that instead of discrimination, systemic inequality and history Black people are victims of their own laziness. Kelly Loeffler, who held the Georgia Senate seat before Walkers opponent, came from a family that profited from government assistance. However, Loeffler didnt bear the burden of representing the shiftlessness of white culture. Ben Carson didnt point out that the man who appointed him could serve as the poster boy for white privilege, if Trump could manage to wrestle the title from the man who appointed Thomas to the supreme court, George HW Bush.

But thats not what makes this a racist idea.

By preaching the tenets of the bootstrap gospel, Black Republicans are essentially saying that 83% of Black voters, 63% of Hispanic voters and 72% of Asian American voters are wrong. The fact that every non-white demographic in America has rejected this narrative cannot unseat this fraudulent conservative conceit. They might not know much about history, business, systemic racism or inequality in their own country but, apparently, white people know whats best for everyone else.

The willingness to toss aside the people who labored for the conservative movement actually disproves the logic of bootstrap mythology. Ultimately, when the premise of the false narrative is exposed as a fantasy, they have no use for the Black people whose lives once supported the idea that the gears to equality are lubricated with elbow grease.

It turns out, it was snake oil all along.

The rest is here:
For Black Republicans, pulling yourself up by your bootstraps is an obligatory fiction - The Guardian

These candidates are hoping to win support from Republican delegates at Saturdays Utah Republican Convention.

(AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma, File) A handful of Utah Republican candidates at Saturday's state convention have embraced extreme views, including support for the QAnon conspiracy theory. tips for anyone wondering how to talk to people consumed by the conspiracy theory.

| April 22, 2022, 6:00 p.m.

| Updated: 7:13 p.m.

As Sen. Mitt Romney took the stage at last years Utah Republican Convention, the crowd erupted into a chorus of boos and shouts of traitor and communist. The hate came after Romney voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump. Gov. Spencer Cox also caught a smattering of boos for supporting COVID-19 restrictions.

At Saturdays Republican Convention in Sandy, Romney and Cox might find themselves even further from their partys favor. Last year when the boos rained down, outgoing party chair Derek Brown scolded delegates to show respect for Romney and silenced the crowd.

This year the party chair is Carson Jorgensen, a sheep rancher who recently went on Tucker Carlsons Fox News program, where Carlson claimed that Spencer Cox and Mitt Romney arent simply liberals who are working for the agenda of the Democratic Party. They have unmasked undisguised contempt for Republican voters.

We have to be careful with this kind of woke ideology, Jorgensen responded.

Well know how far the Utah Republican base has moved to the right after Saturdays convention, in part based on how several candidates with extreme views fare among the states GOP delegates.

Several Republicans hoping to reach the June primary or win the Utah Republican Partys nomination outright at Saturdays state convention have fully embraced or expressed support for extreme political views.

Those positions cover the full spectrum of far-right politics, Trumps false claim that the 2020 election was fraudulent, or that Trump is President in exile, to outright support of QAnon conspiracy theories.

One of the more extreme Republicans running on Saturday is Angie Martin. Shes part of a trio of Republicans challenging incumbent Daniel Thatcher in Utahs SD11. Martin, a retired police officer, operates the Stand Up Against Tyranny Telegram channel, which hosts a constant stream of posts from fake news and conspiracy websites.

She has directly quoted Q, the purported high-level government official who claimed former President Donald Trump was secretly fighting a global cabal behind a Satanic pedophile ring. There are multiple posts about frazzledrip, a conspiracy that claims Hillary Clinton and a former aide participated in a murderous, Satanic ritual.

Martin has also warned of a Muslim invasion financed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that would result in beheadings for Christians. In a recent online town hall, she suggested she was at least partially responsible for former President Donald Trump firing former Defense Secretary Mark Esper and claimed she exposed Michigan Attorney General Keith Ellison as a jihadist.

Martin posted on Telegram that Trump still has overwhelming control of our own military as The Shadow President. She has argued Trump signed an emergency document before leaving office that will allow him to return at the time of his choosing and the Supreme Court will have to act and reinstate him. None of this is possible under the Constitution.

None of the four Republicans in the race gathered signatures, and theres no Democratic candidate. If none of the candidates receive 60% of the vote on Saturday, the top two will advance to the June primary.

Martin refused multiple attempts to contact her.

One of two Republicans challenging incumbent Ann Millner in SD5 is former Air Force pilot Kevin Hall. Halls social media channels include posts about QAnon, COVID-19 denialism, Russian talking points about Ukraine, baseless claims of widespread election fraud and worries about critical race theory.

Halls Twitter and Telegram accounts are full of references to human trafficking of children and warnings of pedophilia, which are central issues in QAnon conspiracies. Earlier this month, he posted a video that claimed the Affordable Care Act website was created for the purpose of trafficking children.

Hall has amplified claims about U.S.-funded biolabs possibly being the source of the coronavirus. In social media posts, he also appears to agree with Russian claims that their invasion was to de-Nazify Ukraine and that the U.S. and Ukraine are using secret labs to develop biological weapons. There is no evidence to support that claim.

Hall has made false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, and promoted the conspiracy that Utahs elections were fraudulent.

Hall did not respond to requests for comment.

Republican Patrick Larson, who is attempting to wrest the GOP nomination away from incumbent state Sen. Evan Vickers, has either scrubbed or locked down much of his past online content. Screenshots preserved by Iron County resident Jesse Harris show Larson advocating for violence against political leaders and calls for revolution.

During the BLM protests in 2020, Larson said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall needs to be hauled off by her hair as part of some 1776 style revolution.

Larson blamed Democrats voting in the 2020 GOP gubernatorial primary for Spencer Coxs win, saying it was time for a literal war. In March 2020, Larson posted that he believed Congress should be hung for treason, but immediately softened the comment by calling it wishful thinking later in the same post.

Republican Russell Sias is also challenging Vickers for the GOP nomination. There is no Democratic candidate.

Larson did not respond to requests for comment.

Editors note This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.

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Republican candidates supporting QAnon and election fraud theories run for office - Salt Lake Tribune

DES MOINES, Iowa Former President Donald Trumps persistent flirtation with another White House run is doing little to discourage other potential Republican candidates from stepping up their activity in Iowa, the state that will formally launch the 2024 nomination process.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo quietly finished his fifth trip to Iowa last week, and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is making plans for a statewide trip this summer. Former Vice President Mike Pence, meanwhile, is expected to visit the heart of conservative western Iowa this weekend.

Pences trip is particularly notable since he spent the better part of four years in lockstep with Trump. It provides further evidence that Pence, whose life was threatened by Trump supporters during the violent Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, is considering his political future without regard to the former presidents plans.

Pence and his wife, Karen, will make their plans based on where they are being called to serve, not on what anyone else is doing, including Trump, senior Pence adviser Marc Short said.

From his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump is closely watching the developments in Iowa and working with operatives in the state to ensure that he would dominate the caucuses if he decided to run again. But some Republicans warn that Trump doesnt have the state locked down.

His status as a former president who remains deeply popular with the GOP base doesnt mean someone else with the right message couldnt appeal to them in a way that really cuts into Trumps support, said David Kochel, a veteran Iowa Republican campaign strategist.

Pence, in particular, seems prepared to dig in to the state, especially the sprawling swath of northern and western Iowa where Christian conservatives have lifted the past three GOP caucus winners. Making his third trip to Iowa since the 2020 election, Pence plans to campaign on Saturday with Rep. Randy Feenstra in the Republican-heavy 4th Congressional District and cap the day with a speech to the county GOP meeting in Ames.

Last month, he outlined a policy agenda for 2022 candidates, noting elections are about the future. The comment could foreshadow a confrontation with Trump, who continues to falsely insist that widespread voter fraud cost him a second term in 2020.

Federal and state election officials and Trumps own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former presidents allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges Trump appointed.

Still, Trump has criticized Pence for not stopping the certification of the Electoral College vote totals that made Democrat Joe Biden the winner. Vice presidents play only a ceremonial role in the counting of Electoral College votes. Any attempt to interfere in the count would have represented an extraordinary violation of the law and an assault on the democratic process, sparking a constitutional crisis.

Only this year did Pence publicly renounce Trumps claims, saying in February the former president was wrong to insist that he had the power to unilaterally overturn the results of the 2020 election. He further distanced himself from Trump after Russia invaded Ukraine. Pence said, There is no room in this party for apologists for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, whom Trump has praised.

The former president has become more critical of Putin as the war in Ukraine has intensified.

The GOPs full court press in Iowa wont likely begin until after the November midterm elections. But the party has already committed to maintaining the states status as home to the first nominating contest. Thats in contrast to Democrats, who are taking the boldest steps in a generation to revise their calendar and potentially concentrate power in states that are more racially diverse.

Pompeo, who wrapped up a two-day trip in western Iowa last week, has been a regular visitor, appearing at local, county and state GOP meetings across the state. But its Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton who owns the early lead for Iowa visits at six, with a seventh planned for July.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the 2016 Iowa GOP caucus winner, has also visited, and endorsed candidates for Congress.

Despite the activity, its unclear that anyone visiting the state is gaining much traction among Iowa GOP activists at this early stage. During recent interviews with a dozen county Republican activists, GOP consultants and donors, much of the focus was on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has yet to visit the state. The closest hes come is as a guest of Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts at a September fundraiser south of Omaha.

There are a number of people that are interesting and have done work thats been noticed, especially Ron DeSantis, said former Republican county chair Gwen Ecklund, of Crawford County in conservative western Iowa.

DeSantis, governor of the nations third most-populous state, has recently become a rallying voice in the countrys cultural battles, particularly related to LGBTQ issues. He has refused to recognize the transgender swimmer who won the NCAA womens freestyle championship. He signed a bill last month forbidding instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity for early elementary school students, a measure opponents have dubbed the Dont Say Gay law.

Hes in an increasingly heated battle with Disney, whose executives have criticized the anti-LGBTQ measures. At his request, the Florida legislature on Thursday gave final passage to a bill that would stop allowing Walt Disney World to operate a private government over its properties in the state.

Influential Republican donors, such as retired insurance executive Cam Sutton of suburban Des Moines, describe DeSantis as similar to Trump on policy, but without the tweets.

Sutton was among a contingent of wealthy Iowa Republicans who traveled to New Jersey in 2011 in hopes of recruiting then-Gov. Chris Christie to run in 2012. Sutton and others remain in touch with Christie and would not be surprised if he runs, as he did in 2016.

Still, Trump remains overwhelmingly popular among Iowa Republicans. According to The Des Moines Registers Iowa Poll in October, 91% of Iowa Republicans said they have a favorable view of him.

That same month, during Trumps most recent appearance in Iowa, he drew tens of thousands to the Iowa State Fairgrounds, where he endorsed Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, who is seeking an eighth term.

Iowa staff working for his super PAC were recently meeting at the former presidents Florida home to discuss his Iowa plans for the year, mindful of the attention others would be receiving.

Oh, I know there are some who cant wait for him to run again, Crawford Countys Ecklund said. But others are sitting back and starting to pay attention to others.

Story by Thomas Beaumont.

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Iowa Republicans are open to 2024 prospects other than Donald Trump - Bangor Daily News

Rallygoers hold signs at an event hosted by former President Donald Trump in Michigan on April 2. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

Rallygoers hold signs at an event hosted by former President Donald Trump in Michigan on April 2.

Michigan Republicans will meet this weekend to decide which candidates to nominate for a number of key statewide positions, marking an early swing-state test of former President Donald Trump's influence in the midterm elections.

It could also be the first time the GOP moves forward in a battleground state with an election-denying candidate to oversee voting as secretary of state.

Michigan doesn't hold primaries for a number of down-ballot races, including secretary of state and attorney general. Instead, a few thousand party delegates from across the state meet at a convention and choose a nominee for those positions.

Here are four things to know ahead of Saturday's Republican endorsement convention at DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids.

As NPR has documented, election-denying candidates across the country are running in 2022 for positions that oversee voting.

But with primary season only just kicking off in earnest, none of those candidates has officially become the GOP's nominee for secretary of state in those places.

That's expected to change on Saturday.

Kristina Karamo, a community college professor who has spent much of the past year and a half arguing that there were gross irregularities in the 2020 election, is widely favored to be endorsed by the party at the convention.

Kristina Karamo, who is running for the Michigan Republican Party's nomination for secretary of state, gets an endorsement from Trump during his April 2 rally. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

Kristina Karamo, who is running for the Michigan Republican Party's nomination for secretary of state, gets an endorsement from Trump during his April 2 rally.

She already has the endorsement of Trump, who hosted a rally with Karamo and others in Washington Township, Mich., earlier this month.

"This is not just about 2022; this is about making sure Michigan is not rigged and stolen again in 2024," Trump said. "I don't do this often for state people, but this is so important. What happened in Michigan is a disgrace."

Karamo rose to prominence in the world of election denialism as a poll watcher at Detroit's TCF Center, where absentee ballots were being counted in 2020. She claimed to have witnessed election fraud, although Michigan's former elections director explained to The Guardian that Karamo seemed to just misunderstand what she was watching as someone without formal training.

Outside of politics, Karamo has also voiced a number of other fringe beliefs. A CNN review of her podcast appearances and writings found that she has opposed the teaching of evolution, and declared herself an "anti-vaxxer."

She also appeared at a QAnon-adjacent rally in Las Vegas last year.

For those reasons, experts say that if nominated, she may have a hard time in November's general election unseating incumbent Democrat Jocelyn Benson, who also holds a massive fundraising advantage in the race.

"Every ad from April 24 through November is going to say 'QAnon Karamo is too crazy for us,' " said state Rep. Beau LaFave, who is running against Karamo on Saturday.

Karamo's campaign did not respond to an NPR request for an interview.

While Karamo is expected to win the race for secretary of state, the convention contest for attorney general will probably come down to the wire, said Jason Roe, the former executive director of the Michigan GOP.

"No outcome would surprise me," said Roe.

Matthew DePerno, who is seeking the Michigan GOP nomination for state attorney general, appears at the April Trump rally. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

Matthew DePerno is an attorney who has pushed Trump's false claims of election fraud, and also received the former president's endorsement in the race. Of the two candidates he faces, former state House Speaker Tom Leonard is expected to give the toughest challenge, and is considered the more mainstream, establishment candidate.

Trump held a telephone town hall this week in support of DePerno, in which he claimed Leonard refused to stop election fraud in 2020, even though Leonard was last in office was 2018. Trump also nominated Leonard in 2019 to be U.S. attorney for the Western District of Michigan. (The nomination was blocked.)

"When Trump came into Michigan, he thought he had a blank canvas on which he could paint a portrait of who Tom Leonard is and that nobody would know any better," Roe said. "Except the reality is that everybody in Michigan knows Tom Leonard. So when Trump says that he's a RINO [Republican in name only] ... it just doesn't ring true with the base."

Roe added that DePerno may also struggle to fundraise should he get the endorsement, because of his inability to reach voters outside of Trump's supporters.

DePerno has pushed a number of election conspiracies since 2020, and has also been endorsed by MyPillow founder and election denial leader Mike Lindell.

The former president has made it clear that Michigan may be his highest priority in this fall's midterms; he has endorsed more than 15 candidates in the state already.

Roe says that means this weekend's convention will be a major test of the influence Trump holds over the party nationally, a year and a half after losing the 2020 election by more than 70 Electoral College votes, and 7 million votes in the popular vote.

"If Tom Leonard manages to pull it out, it will show that the mainstream forces within the party, those people that are more focused on winning elections than ideological purity, will have prevailed," said Roe. "If Matthew DePerno secures the nomination, I think it will demonstrate that the MAGA wing of the party is in control."

Among states voting to elect a secretary of state this year, Michigan is the only one in which voters will not have a say in who is on the ballot in November.

The state has a complicated convention model for those several down-ballot races.

Michigan law states that nominating conventions need to take place in August. But a few years ago, Democrats in the state figured they could get a head start on building name recognition for their candidates and party unity by deciding their nominees earlier.

Thus, the endorsement convention was born. Democrats began meeting in the spring to vote on which candidate the party would nominate a few months later.

This is the first year Republicans in the state are following suit.

The convention model is generally thought to advantage more extreme candidates than a primary, since the voting pool is made up of people more dedicated to the party than the average voter.

"The convention harkens back to the old imagery of the smoke-filled room," said Julio Borquez, a political science professor at the University of Michigan. "You have staunchly conservative Republicans gathered in one place, and that could result in a very solidly right-of-center candidate."

The process also changes what a campaign looks like.

LaFave, the state representative who is running for secretary of state, told NPR this week that he had a pile of 64 pages of voting delegates and their phone numbers and that he was calling them one by one to ask for their votes.

"I vacillate between 'all hope is lost' and 'I won this thing six weeks ago,' " LaFave said.

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4 things to know ahead of Michigan's Republican convention - NPR