A ‘dark horse’ Republican candidate could emerge as Trump’s legal problems mount, ex-U.S. ambassador says
A ‘dark horse’ Republican candidate could emerge as Trump’s legal problems mount, ex-U.S. ambassador says
- Seven Republican presidential candidates on Wednesday will take the stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute in Simi Valley, California.
- Donald Trump, who skipped the first Republican Party presidential debate in Wisconsin last month, boasts a lead of more than 40 points over his nearest competition, according to a national NBC News poll.
- “I still think there is a possibility of a dark horse candidate, somebody like Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, who could jump into the race, attract donors, coalesce the non-Trump voters and come out as the candidate,” Lew Lukens, former U.S. ambassador, told CNBC.
A growing legal headache for early front-runner Donald Trump could pave the way for a “dark horse” 2024 Republican presidential candidate to win the backing of the party in the race for the White House.
That’s the view of one former U.S. ambassador ahead of the Republican Party’s second televised presidential debate on Wednesday evening.
Seven candidates will take the stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute in Simi Valley, California, seeking to close the gap with Trump — who holds a seemingly unshakeable lead over the rest of the field.
The former president, who skipped the first Republican Party presidential debate in Wisconsin last month, boasts a lead of more than 40 points over his nearest competition, according to a recent national NBC News poll.
Trump has said he doesn’t plan to take part in the second Republican debate on Wednesday evening and will instead deliver a speech to autoworkers in Detroit.
“I think we are just seeing the beginning of Donald Trump’s legal issues starting to pile up on him and I think they are going to start to take its toll,” Lew Lukens, former U.S. ambassador to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau and senior partner at Signum Global Advisors, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Wednesday.
Lukens said there are plenty of Republican Party voters open to alternatives to Trump but they hadn’t found one yet, with many seemingly reluctant to get behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — an early rival to Trump.
“I still think there is a possibility of a dark horse candidate, somebody like Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, who could jump into the race, attract donors, coalesce the non-Trump voters and come out as the candidate,” Lukens said.
Youngkin, who spoke in May about ushering in “a new era of American values” in a presidential campaign-like video, has said he is not running for the White House next year, having previously declined to rule out the possibility of a campaign.
Republican Party donors have encouraged Youngkin to enter the race and challenge Trump’s sizable lead in the polls.
Looking ahead to the second Republican debate, Lukens said one to watch would be former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
“She is trying to carve out that ground where she could be an attractive, maybe not presidential candidate, but maybe on the vice presidential ticket,” he said.
Alongside DeSantis and Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will take part in the Republican Party’s second debate.
Skipping debates ‘does have some cost’
Trump’s legal problems are well documented. He has been criminally indicted four times and currently faces a series of criminal and civil trials over the coming months that could derail his 2024 presidential run.
Trump has repeatedly said he is innocent or not at fault in all of the cases.
