A slate of high-profile conservative figures is scheduled to appear at an annual GOP conference over the weekend, giving a clearer picture of the Republican presidential primary as candidates seek to isolate themselves from the rest of the field.
Aside from those who are already running, there are a handful of other Republicans scheduled to speak at The Gathering, an annual meeting hosted by radio host Erick Erickson to allow GOP candidates to share their platforms with voters. Among the list of speakers this year are Govs. Brian Kemp (R-GA) and Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), who have attracted attention as possible contenders to run against former President Donald Trump for the GOP nomination.
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Kemp spoke at the conference on Friday, responding to recent news reports about Trump’s indictment related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the Peach State. The Georgia governor told Republican voters to move past Trump’s loss and to focus on the future, warning the party could lose the White House next year if it remains “distracted” about the previous election.
Youngkin is scheduled to address the conference on Saturday evening, making him the final speaker of the annual gathering. His appearance comes as top donors have reportedly pushed him in private to consider a presidential run — something the Virginia governor initially ruled out earlier this year.
Several high-profile donors are withholding donations until a strong contender enters the race to challenge Trump for the nomination, according to Axios. Youngkin initially shut down a possible bid earlier this year, but reports later emerged that he was reconsidering a run after a slew of crucial state legislative races this November.
Youngkin has attracted the support of billionaires such as Thomas Peterffy, who backed Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) but later gave at least $1 million to Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC, according to finance filings. Such support could spell trouble for DeSantis, who was once seen as Trump’s top challenger but has since experienced a bumpy start to his own campaign.
However, some donors have maintained skepticism in a run for either governor, noting it’s too late for another candidate to jump into the race and have enough momentum to overtake Trump in the polls. For example, if Youngkin chooses to wait until after the November election to join the race, he’d be excluded from the Nevada primaries because the filing deadline is Oct. 16.
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The long-shot bid to overcome Trump’s reelection campaign comes as the former president continues to dominate early polling in the race despite facing 91 felony charges stemming from four separate criminal indictments.
More than half (54.4%) of Republican voters say they would back Trump in the GOP primaries, according to data compiled by FiveThirtyEight. DeSantis comes in at a distant second at 15.4%, followed by Vivek Ramaswamy (7.9%), former Vice President Mike Pence (5.1%), and Nikki Haley (3.7%).