Conservative groups look beyond Trump for 2024 GOP nominee
NEW YORK (AP) — Two major conservative groups have signaled they are open to supporting someone other than Donald Trump in the 2024 race for the White House, the latest sign from an increasingly vocal segment of the Republican Party that it’s time to move on from the former president.
David McIntosh, the president of the influential Club For Growth group, said Tuesday that the group has invited a half dozen potential Republican candidates to its donor summit in Florida next month, but Trump — the only declared major candidate in the race so far — is not among them.
Instead, the group has invited Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is viewed as Trump's most formidable likely challenger, along with Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador; former Vice President Mike Pence; former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina; and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
“We think it would be great for our members to hear them, see what they have to say, where they want to lead the country," McIntosh said in an interview.
His comments came on the heels of a memo released over the weekend by the conservative advocacy group Americans For Prosperity that said the group was prepared to support someone other than Trump in the GOP primary.
Tensions between Trump and both groups are not new, but their willingness to get involved on behalf of another candidate may only encourage at least half a dozen potential rivals who are considering campaigns. Haley is expected to announce her 2024 campaign next week in South Carolina.
Both groups join several megadonors who have signaled in recent months that they’re looking elsewhere for a presidential nominee.
Trump is facing a swirl of legal problems and has been blamed for the GOP’s underwhelming...