Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld on Friday took the final step before challenging President Trump for the 2020 Republican nomination.
At a New Hampshire event, Weld said he formed an exploratory committee ahead of next year’s primary campaign.
“I’m here because our country is in grave peril, and I cannot sit quietly on the sidelines any longer,” Weld said. “Because of the many concerns I’ve talked about today, I have established an exploratory committee to pursue the possibility of my running for the presidency of the United States as a Republican in the 2020 election.”
Weld, 73, who served as Massachusetts governor from 1991 to 1997, is no stranger to long-odds campaigns. In 2016 he ran as running mate of Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson, a former New Mexico governor. The ticket won 3.28 percent of the national popular vote — by far its best presidential showing — but far from winning even a single Electoral College vote.
[Opinion: The challenge for any 2020 primary challenge to Trump]
Weld changed his party registration back to Republican this month.
At the New Hampshire Institute of Politics’ “Politics and Eggs” speaker series, Weld on Friday laid out his 2020 platform, touching on policy issues like federal spending, criminal justice reform, and approaches to climate change.
The exploratory committee allows Weld to fundraise as he continues to mull the possibility of another White House bid. But his path forward will not be easy as some states discuss nixing primaries in an effort to clear the way for Trump’s re-nomination.
Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan are frequently-mentioned potential 2020 primary challengers to Trump.
If they or other potential challengers emerge as serious electoral threats to Trump in Republican contests, it could bode poorly for the incumbent. Former Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George H. W. Bush each fought off serious primary challenges but each lost in November. And President Lyndon Johnson in 1968 quit the race after a closer-than-expected win in the New Hampshire primary.
