Former President Donald Trump appears ready to launch another bid for president, promising an announcement on Tuesday.
However, not all Republicans from New York — including some of those who just got elected to Congress in formerly Democratic seats — are racing to embrace him.
Mike Lawler, in an interview with Spectrum News’ “Capital Tonight,” said Trump will “make his decision about what he thinks is best” while noting he “would like to see a lot of new voices in the process moving forward.”
What You Need To Know
- Former President Donald Trump appears ready to launch another bid for president, promising a special announcement on Tuesday
- Not all Republicans from New York — including some of those who just got elected to Congress in formerly Democratic seats — are racing to embrace him
- Mike Lawler, elected in NY's 17th District, said he “would like to see a lot of new voices in the process moving forward"
- Rep. Elise Stefanik, whose own rise to power in the House GOP was fueled by her embrace of Trump, is already endorsing Trump in 2024
Lawler beat Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney in New York’s 17th District in the Hudson Valley. President Joe Biden would have won the newly drawn district by 10 points in 2020.
Lawler argued there are a “lot of rising stars in the party,” naming Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis directly.
Over in New York’s 3rd District, which stretches from northern Queens to Nassau County, Republican George Santos has been an outspoken supporter of the former president. He said he attended the White House rally on Jan. 6 of last year, and described Trump as at his “full awesomeness” that day.
However, when asked whether Trump should run again, Santos said that it is Trump’s “prerogative” whether to do so.
“I do believe it’s going to be a highly contested contest and I haven’t made my decision where I’m at yet,” he said.
Many of Trump’s chosen candidates fared poorly on Tuesday, including Senate nominees Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania and Blake Masters in Arizona.
That has prompted some in Republican circles to call for the party to move on from the former president.
At least one prominent Trump ally from New York, though, is all in: Rep. Elise Stefanik, whose own rise to power in the House GOP was fueled by her embrace of Trump.
She told the New York Times in a statement that she is “proud” to endorse Trump for president in 2024, writing, “It is time for Republicans to unite around the most popular Republican in America who has a proven track record of conservative governance.”
Across the aisle, Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat said it appears his GOP colleagues are “concerned” about the expected announcement.
“It seems that the Republican Party is very concerned that he will negatively impact elections,” he said.