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Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has reportedly paused plans to enter the 2024 presidential race.
The New York Times reported that Youngkin informed his advisers and donors that he’s focused on helping Republicans perform well in the state’s legislative elections in November, which is months after the party’s primary debates begin in August.
“Listen, I didn’t write a book, and I’m not in Iowa or New Hampshire or South Carolina,” Youngkin said when asked about a potential timeline for 2024. “I am wholly focused on the Commonwealth of Virginia, and I’m looking forward to these elections.’’
“Youngkin hopes to flip the state legislature to a Republican majority. That could earn him a closer look from rank-and-file Republicans nationwide, who so far have been indifferent to the presidential chatter surrounding him in the news media, and among heavyweight donors he would need to keep pace alongside more prominent candidates. He has yet to crack 1% in polls about the potential Republican field,” the New York Times reported.
“Tellingly, Youngkin’s two top political advisers, who guided his gubernatorial victory and were mapping out a 2024 strategy, both took jobs this month with a super PAC that supports the presidential candidacy of DeSantis,” the outlet added.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has not officially announced he’s running for president in 2024, but many believe he will toss his hat in the ring at some point this year.
Virginia's GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin PAUSES plans to enter 2024 White House race https://t.co/TcRfZp1qvI pic.twitter.com/07qyln0una
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) April 16, 2023
Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills has endorsed Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
“I think that what’s happening in New York is a very unifying event. We need to stop the infighting and come together and unify. And I think right now the person that we need to be unifying behind is President Trump,” Mills said, referring to Trump being indicted in Manhattan.
His endorsement came after Trump appeared in Manhattan last week for his arraignment in the case brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 charges regarding allegations that he falsified business records related to adult film star Stormy Daniels’ hush-money case. T
Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury in a case involving his purported role in hush money payments to Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, allegedly to keep Daniels quiet about an affair the two of them had in 2006.
Mills is the fourth member of Florida’s congressional delegation to endorse Trump’s third run for the White House as rumors swirl that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may also run.
In recent weeks, Republican Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Chip Roy of Texas endorsed DeSantis for 2024 even though the governor has not officially announced whether or not he’s running.
Trump got some more good late last week following several days’ worth of coverage involving his indictment.
The most recent national survey conducted by Fox News indicates that Trump is widening his lead in the Republican primary race.
Meanwhile, President Biden is facing uncertainty among Democratic primary voters.
According to the survey, Republican primary voters were presented with a list of 15 declared and potential candidates for the 2024 nomination. The results show that since February, Trump has doubled his lead and is now ahead of Ron DeSantis by 30 points (54%-24%). In comparison, the former President was only 15 points ahead of DeSantis last month (43%-28%).
“No one else hits double digits. Mike Pence comes in third with 6%, Liz Cheney and Nikki Haley receive 3% each, and Greg Abbott comes in at 2%. All others receive 1% support or less, and just 3% are unsure,” the network reported.
The survey reveals that Trump gained support among nearly every major demographic, except for white men holding a college degree, where DeSantis leads in this demographic by a margin of 12 points.
Within the subset of voters who supported Trump in the 2020 general election, 60% continue to support him in the Republican primary. Meanwhile, 25% back DeSantis, and 5% support Pence.
On the Democratic side, the survey shows that 52% of primary voters would prefer a presidential nominee other than Biden, which is similar to the percentage from last month (53%). However, the number of voters who want Biden to be the nominee has risen from 37% in February to 44%, Fox News reported.