NEWS AND OPINION:
The Republican Party appears to have a wealth of capable folks interested in the 2024 presidential elections — now 622 days off as of Wednesday. And who are they?
Saul Anunzis has the roster. He is, by the way, former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party and now president of 60Plus, a conservative interest group.
“When you look at all the potential candidates out there, it’s hard not to feel optimistic about our future,” Mr. Anunzis said in a written statement to Inside the Beltway.
He points out, of course, that former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and former President Donald Trump have already announced runs for president.
But wait, there’s more.
“Here is a list of others who are either exploring the possibilities of being mentioned as potential candidates,” Mr. Anunzis said — offering a list of more than 20 hopefuls. The roster includes eight current or former governors and seven U.S. senators.
The former list consists of Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas, Ron DeSantis of Florida, Brian Kemp of Georgia, Kristi Noem of South Dakota, Kim Reynolds of Iowa, and Glenn Youngkin of Virginia; and former Govs. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Larry Hogan of Maryland.
The latter group includes Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Ted Cruz of Texas, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida, and Tim Scott of South Carolina.
Those others on Mr. Anuzis’ roster include former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton, Michigan businessman Perry Johnson, former Vice President Mike Pence, former CIA director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy; and former Oklahoma state Rep. Mike Rogers.
Ballotpedia.com — an online political resource — previously reported that Corey Stapleton, former Montana Secretary of State, announced last Nov. 11 that he would run for the highest office.
HEADLINE OF THE DAY
“There’s too much bull in Biden’s china shop.”
This catchy title comes from National Review columnist Jim Geraghty.
“As far as President Biden and his team are concerned, our policies towards China are working swimmingly. Yeah, I’m not buying it, either,” he writes.
“The default setting of the messaging from the Biden administration is, ‘Everything we’re doing is going great, there is no valid criticism of our past or current decisions, and any evidence to the contrary is misinformation or disinformation.’”
CONCERNS UP NORTH
Let us not forget the border woes on the U.S. border with Canada, warns a new report from The Daily Signal, a publication of the Heritage Foundation.
And the numbers?
“So far in fiscal year 2023, which began Oct. 1, some 55,736 migrants have been encountered at the northern border, nearly as many as were encountered in 2020 and 2021 combined. If the trend continues, the northern border will experience a record number of encounters this year. In fiscal 2022, CBP reported 109,535 encounters at the northern border,” the report said.
“While the southern border garners most of the attention, both of America’s borders are wide open because of the failed policies of the Biden administration,” Robert Law — director of the Center for Homeland Security and Immigration with the America First Policy Institute — told The Daily Signal.
“This administration is setting all the wrong records and exposing American communities to potential national security threats because of its refusal to defend the homeland,” Mr. Law said.
A BOOST FOR HERITAGE
The Heritage Foundation announced Wednesday that it has received one of the largest gifts in the conservative think tank’s 50-year history: a $25 million commitment from the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation.
“We are incredibly grateful for the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation’s commitment to The Heritage Foundation and its support for our mission to take back America,” said Heritage president Kevin Roberts in a statement, calling the gift “indispensable” and a “significant vote of confidence” from the foundation.
“We are excited to call them friends and allies in the fight for our nation’s future,” Mr. Roberts said.
The Diana Davis Spencer Foundation has its own heritage of multi-generational history of family philanthropy. It evolved from the Shelby Cullom Davis Foundation, established in 1962, and the Kathryn W. Davis Foundation, established in 2004.
“As The Heritage Foundation turns 50, they are leading a movement to forward our founding principles in the nation’s capital and across the country,” said Diana Davis Spencer in a statement.
“Their cutting-edge research and critical coalition-building skills are pushing back against those who weaken America and undermine Civil Society. We are proud to help Heritage reach new heights over the next five years, ensuring that America remains the exceptional Land of the Free,” she said.
POLL DU JOUR
• 42% of adult consumers in 28 nations are concerned enough about their personal financial situation and have taken action to curb their “non-essential spending.”
• 28% are concerned about their finances “to some extent” and have taken some action to curb non-essential spending.
• 20% are concerned about their finances but have not changed their behavior on non-essential spending.
• 10% are not concerned about their personal finances and have not changed their behavior on non-essential spending.
SOURCE: A Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey of 9,180 consumers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Vietnam. The survey was conducted during December and released Feb. 16.
• Contact Jennifer Harper at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.