And Then There Was Three...

Mark Sanford
Photo from Mark Sanford's Facebook Page

Even as the Democratic field of Presidential candidates is narrowing, the Republican field is growing.  There are now three declared candidates in the Republicans who will challenge the incumbent Donald Trump.

Former Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina said on Sunday that he would challenge President Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, criticizing Mr. Trump’s stewardship of government spending and the global economy and questioning the financial ethics of his administration. - NY TIMES

Besides Sanford, two other challengers to Trump have also announced that they will be running.

Sanford is now the third Republican to announce a run against Trump in the primaries, with former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld and former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh previously announcing their campaigns. - FOX News

In the meantime, Republican officials in four states, including Sanford's own South Carolina announced they were canceling the primaries or caucuses in their states.

Republican parties in South Carolina, Nevada, Arizona, and Kansas are expected to finalize the cancellations in meetings this weekend, according to three GOP officials who are familiar with the plans. - POLITICO

In the same Politico article, Walsh said in response to the news,

“Trump and his allies and the Republican National Committee are doing whatever they can do to eliminate primaries in certain states and make it very difficult for primary challengers to get on the ballot in a number of states,” said former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), who recently launched his primary campaign against the president. “It’s wrong, the RNC should be ashamed of itself, and I think it does show that Trump is afraid of a serious primary challenge because he knows his support is very soft.”

Weld, on the other hand, tweeted his thoughts,

"Donald Trump, by turns arrogant and paranoid, has made no secret of the fact that he wishes to be crowned as president rather than elected. That might be fine in a monarchy, but we overthrew ours two centuries ago."

In Kansas, a self-proclaimed Republican activist said,

By cancelling the presidential primaries and caucuses, it gives the illusion that Trump is cheating to win those states. He's been declared the winner, withought any campaigning being allowed to happen.

For their part, the GOP leaders in those states cite the cost of running the presidential caucuses and primaries.  In Kansas, leaders say the caucuses would cost about $250,000.  Nevada leaders said it would be a waste of money, knowing that Trump would win the primary anyway.  Money that leaders in both states say would be better used to assist in other 2020 contests.