In a recent opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal on Monday, Republican Senator Mitt Romney, who was the party’s nominee for president in the past, issued a call to action for GOP donors. He expressed concern that the crowded field of candidates in the Republican primary for the 2024 presidential election could pave the way for Donald Trump to secure the nomination with a mere plurality, similar to his victory in 2016.
Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, believes that the key to preventing such an outcome lies in consolidating support behind a viable alternative candidate to Trump. He emphasized the necessity for Republican donors to actively encourage those candidates who are not gaining momentum to gracefully exit the race. By doing so, Romney envisions the potential for a more streamlined and competitive primary, effectively turning it into a “two-man race” between Trump and another strong contender.
“Republican megadonors and influencers — large and small — are going to have to do something they didn’t do in 2016: get candidates they support to agree to withdraw if and when their paths to the nomination are effectively closed,” Romney wrote. “That decision day should be no later than, say, Feb. 26, the Monday following the contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.”
Romney argued that GOP primary candidates used to narrow the field for a “greater purpose” once they realized they didn’t have a chance, but that is no longer the case due to super PACs and megadonors. The senator wrote that candidates won’t listen to party leaders, advisers or staff in their bids to get them to withdraw, but contenders would concede with the influence of their donors.
“Our party and our country need a nominee with character, driven by something greater than revenge and ego, preferably from the next generation,” Romney wrote. “Family, friends and campaign donors are the only people who can get a lost-cause candidate to exit the race.”
The RealClearPolitics (RCP) average for a 2024 national Republican primary, based on polls conducted between July 5 and July 20, indicates that Trump is leading the crowded field by over 30 points with 51.8%, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with 18.5%, former Vice President Mike Pence with 5.6% and conservative businessman Vivek Ramaswamy with 5.5%.
Trump did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
