Free Republic

Says Cornyn: "I don’t think President Trump understands that when you run in a general election, you have to appeal to voters beyond your base." WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said Thursday that Republicans need to find an alternative to former President Donald Trump for the 2024 presidential election, saying the party needs "a candidate who can actually win." ~snip~ Cornyn, a former chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Senate majority whip, did not endorse any other declared candidate or potential contender, though he praised Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and U.S....

Conservative syndicated columnist Jonah Goldberg said Wednesday on CNN’s “The Lead” that Republican “closet normals on the Hill” want to move beyond former President Donald Trump but are waiting for their voters to do so.Anchor Jake Tapper said, “Do you think that, assuming that Jack Smith does go forward and bring some sort of charges related to this, do you think that will have any impact whatsoever on Trump’s standing among must be members of Congress, Republican officials and voters?”Goldberg said, “Those are different constituencies, to be sure. I think there is a possibility, if not one that I think...

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) advocated for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to be the lead 2024 presidential candidate, arguing he has earned the right to be “at the head of the class.” Cramer argued the Republican Party is “in desperate need of some new leadership” and that former President Donald Trump may struggle to achieve the GOP nomination depending on “who else is in the race,” he said during his appearance on NBC's Meet the Press. “Gov. DeSantis … has certainly earned the right to be at the head of the class … not just through his political rhetoric, but through...

Senate Republicans nervous about former President Trump’s lead in presidential primary polls are impatiently awaiting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to jump into the race. GOP lawmakers don’t expect DeSantis to make his move until after the Florida legislative session ends in early May, but the waiting game is playing on nerves, with some thinking DeSantis has lost political momentum since his big reelection win in November. [cut] Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) said he also expects DeSantis to keep his focus on Florida for a while, saying “he’s probably got a window that takes him — if he wants...

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a once-loyal member of Donald Trump's court, is refusing to bend a knee to the former president and says backing him in the 2024 election 'is too much to ask' after Trump publicly attacked his character, according to a report. Trump reportedly said the popular governor has 'no personal charisma' and a 'dull personality' as rumors swirl the ex-president is angry DeSantis hasn't declined to challenge him for the GOP presidential nomination. DeSantis, however, has told his inner circle that Trump's 'expectation that he bend the knee is asking too much,' the New York Times reported....

Both camps have denied any real friction, and they blamed “the media” for overhyping tensions, but Trump advisers say they see a hidden hand at play: that of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who is in a pitched battle with Trump over the future of the Republican Party in political races all over the country. They pointed to the podcast itself, because DeSantis made the attention-grabbing remarks on Ruthless, which is co-hosted by McConnell’s longtime adviser Josh Holmes. Shortly after the podcast was posted Friday, Twitter was flooded with the suggestion that DeSantis had knocked Trump by saying one...

Businessman Matt Bevin is the guy some see moving up in the Kentucky GOP governor's primary. Bevin also challenged now-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in a primary last year. These two things are not distinct from one another. Now that Bevin's chances appear to be on the rise in the May 19 primary (thanks to Agriculture Commissioner James Comer's problems), here comes Team McConnell to knock him down a peg or two. And boy do they. Here is top McConnell aide Josh Holmes on Bevin in a new Lousiville Courier-Journal story: Josh Holmes, McConnell's former chief of staff and...