At his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, former President Donald Trump announced Tuesday night his “comeback” bid for the White House. His re-election effort marks the first time since Theodore Roosevelt that a former president has sought the office again.
“This comeback starts right now,” said Trump. “In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States.”
Reactions among Texas Republican politicos were mostly muted, with several notable exceptions.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick offered his enthusiastic support on Facebook. “President Trump is the candidate the Democrats fear the most in 2024. If you heard his speech tonight, you know why. It was one of the best he has ever given. After two more years of President Biden and the leftist policies of the Democrats, Americans will be ready for America to be Great Again.”
U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls tweeted, “My friend Donald J. Trump has my complete and total endorsement for president in 2024.”
Likewise, U.S. Rep.-elect Wesley Hunt said he would be campaigning for the former president: “As President Trump campaigns for President of the United States, he will have my full support everywhere I go.”
The state’s senior U.S. senator, John Cornyn, was less enthusiastic: “I’m sure I’ll support the nominee of the Republican Party, but I think there’s likely to be a competitive primary election,“ Cornyn told reporters.
While Gov. Greg Abbott’s border statement from earlier in the day received a positive shout-out from Trump, the governor’s social media accounts made no mention of the Trump announcement Tuesday evening.
Earlier this week, the Republican Party of Texas released the results of a poll of GOP primary voters. They were asked who they would vote for if the 2024 presidential primary were held today: 43 percent of respondents said they would vote for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 32 percent said they would support President Donald Trump, and other options received single-digit support.
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