Your weekly look at the latest developments, buzz, and speculation in the next race for the White House
The results of a straw poll of conservative voters this weekend is spotlighting the appeal of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida.
DeSantis came out on top of a 2024 straw poll at the Western Conservative Summit, narrowly edging former President Donald Trump, according to organizers of the conference.
The straw poll at the summit, which was hosted by Colorado Christian University’s Centennial Institute, asked people attending the gathering both in-person and on-line to vote for all of the potential 2024 presidential contenders that they approve of – out of 31 choices of both Republicans and Democrats.
DeSantis, a first-term governor and Trump ally who’s become very popular among conservatives nationwide since the start of the coronavirus pandemic for his resistance to COVID lockdowns and other restrictions, scored a 74% approval, followed by the former president at 71%. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas at 43%, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at 39%, and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, at 36%, rounded out the top five in the straw poll.
Centennial Institute on Twitter: “Western Conservative Summit 2021 non-partisan approval voting poll results: 1. Ron DeSantis – 74.12%2. Donald Trump – 71.43%3. Ted Cruz – 42.86%4. Mike Pompeo – 39.35%5. Tim Scott 35.58%30 candidates polled. Democrats & Republicans.Full results: https://t.co/2a7Z5gVVwU / Twitter”
Western Conservative Summit 2021 non-partisan approval voting poll results: 1. Ron DeSantis – 74.12%2. Donald Trump – 71.43%3. Ted Cruz – 42.86%4. Mike Pompeo – 39.35%5. Tim Scott 35.58%30 candidates polled. Democrats & Republicans.Full results: https://t.co/2a7Z5gVVwU
According to organizers, roughly 500 people attended the 12th annual summit in person at a hotel in Denver, Colorado, with tens of thousands watching online. None of the potential contenders spoke at the conference.
The Florida governor came in second to Trump in late February at a straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference – the biggest and oldest annual gathering of conservative activists and leaders which is better known by its acronym CPAC. And DeSantis, whom pundits consider a potential 2024 Republican presidential contender, made headlines as he easily topped a second straw poll at CPAC that didn’t include Trump.
Pompeo launches PAC to help conservatives ‘crush their adversaries’
Pompeo launched a new political organization that aims to help conservative candidates running in the 2022 midterm elections, as Republicans hope to win back majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
In an interview with Fox News, the former three-term congressman from Kansas who served as CIA director and later as America’s top diplomat in the Trump administration., emphasized that the mission of the Champion American Values PAC, or CAVPAC, “is to help conservative candidates all across America. We want to make sure that we can elect people who care about American workers, America’s middle class.”
And Pompeo, a Fox News contributor, tweeted that “I’ve begun my efforts already to make sure that we build a team so that we can help conservative candidates crush their adversaries in November of 2022.”
Mike Pompeo on Twitter: “My entire life, I’ve committed to do all that I could to protect and defend America.I’m proud to champion American values – the values that make our nation great.Join the @cav_pac Cavalry → https://t.co/GjyCeO9zlJ / Twitter”
My entire life, I’ve committed to do all that I could to protect and defend America.I’m proud to champion American values – the values that make our nation great.Join the @cav_pac Cavalry → https://t.co/GjyCeO9zlJ
The formation of the PAC allows Pompeo to raise unlimited amounts of money on behalf of fellow Republicans, allows him to continue to crisscross the country on behalf of GOP candidates and causes — and further sparks speculation that the former secretary of state’s seriously considering a bid for the next Republican presidential nomination. Pompeo seemed to spark more 2024 speculation by telling Fox News, “We’re going to stay in this fight.”
Pompeo follows two other potential GOP White House contenders who are also currently out of office – former Vice President Mike Pence and former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley – in setting up fundraising committees to help fellow Republicans.
Pompeo and Pence will both speak next weekend at the Republican National Committee’s summer donor retreat in Dana Point, California.
