ELECTION/GOP/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT:TRUMP PEOPLE “Bill Weld announced his presidential exploratory bid last month with a flourish, capturing headlines by calling Donald Trump ‘a schoolyard bully’ and dismissing Washington Republicans for exhibiting ‘all the symptoms of Stockholm syndrome.’ Then he went dark. Aside from a few television hits and public appearances, the former Massachusetts governor has done little to suggest his primary election challenge to Trump is something the president needs to worry about…A primary challenge to Trump in 2020 would be almost as daunting as a third-party run for president. The president remains popular with the Republican base in early voting states, including New Hampshire, where more than 80 percent of self-identified Republicans approve of Trump’s job performance, according to a recent University of New Hampshire poll. A majority of likely Republican primary voters — 56 percent — say they plan to vote for Trump. When compared to Weld and Kasich, 68 percent of likely Republican voters said they’d choose Trump. While 17 percent said they would vote for Kasich, only 3 percent said they would vote for Weld according to the poll, which was conducted in the week after he announced his exploratory committee.”
–Stephanie Murray, “Trump’s primary challenger stumbles out of gate,” Politico, March 6, 2019 5:05 am