Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld said Monday he’s leaning toward challenging President Trump in the 2020 Republican primary.
His decision could come as soon as April.
“I’m leaning towards doing it unless something changes, and set myself an informal deadline of the month of April to pull the trigger,” Weld said, according to Politico.
Weld made the comments during a stop in New Hampshire, the first state to hold its primaries in presidential election years.
The former two-term governor would face the lofty challenge of defeating a sitting president in their own party, especially since Trump has the backing of the Republican National Committee and Weld has done little so far in terms of campaigning.
Weld, who was Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson’s running mate in 2016, predicted he could be competitive across New England and in the mid-Atlantic states. California could also be in play, he said.
His focus would be on turning out independent voters, millennials, and suburban women in his favor. Weld admitted that getting independent voters to support a Republican could be challenge as high-profile Democratic candidates continue to visit the state.
“I’m looking for old-school money. My Rolodex of years’ past and those I’ve spoken to,” he said of why he would run as a Republican rather than a Libertarian.
