Washington Wednesday - Preparing for political battle

MARY REICHARD, HOST: It’s Wednesday the 3rd of November, 2021.

Glad to have you along for today’s edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, I’m Mary Reichard.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Up first: Republicans get together in South Carolina to chart a course to victory.

Some GOP lawmakers and other party leaders converged on Myrtle Beach over the weekend to talk strategy. They’re hoping to retake control of Congress next year and to reclaim the White House in 2024.

And Florida Senator Rick Scott told South Carolina Republicans that they’re well positioned to make that happen.

SCOTT: You have a well-run party. Yeah, you should feel good!

Organizers described the Republican gathering as the party’s largest political training event.

REICHARD: Joining us now to talk about GOP prospects for next year and beyond is Matt Klink. He is a Republican political strategist and president of his own consultancy—Klink Campaigns. Matt, good morning to you.

MATT KLINK, GUEST: Good morning. How are you?

REICHARD: Let me start with the biggest news of the day in the political world: Glenn Youngkin will be the next governor of Virginia. A lot of people were looking at this race as a possible bellwether ahead of next year’s midterms. What do you think the Virginia race tells us, if anything, about 2022?

KLINK: Virginia is very important for 2022 and there are parallels back to 2009 to 2010. It indicates that the country is not buying what President Joe Biden is trying to sell, that there is a lot of frustration, and that the suburbs are moving away from the Democrats, and that a message of parents should have a role in their children's education. And we don't need to spend, you know, X umpteen trillion dollars and we shouldn't have open borders does resonate. And Glenn Younkin, who literally came out of nowhere, upset a well-established and entrenched Democratic politician, which should send shivers through any long-term incumbent, particularly a Democrat running in 2022.

REICHARD: At last weekend’s conference, there was obviously a lot of talk about what it will take for Republicans to chart a course to victory next year. Matt, what does that path to victory look like for the GOP? How do they reclaim majorities in Congress?

KLINK: Well, first and foremost, the Democrats are doing everything that they possibly can to help the Republicans make 2022 a reality in terms of recapturing both houses of Congress. But the second part is—and here's where it's a careful dance for Republicans—Donald Trump got 74 million votes, the most votes of any Republican presidential candidate ever. And what I think you saw Glen Youngkin do in Virginia was he hugged close to President Trump, because we know we need that base vote, but then he broadened his appeal to recapture some of those suburban voters by talking about issues that they cared about. And nothing hits home more closely than public education. And across the United States, the teachers union’s power has run rampant. Our kids aren't learning. They're being taught things that are not essential to them as productive Americans on a going forward basis. And just really, again, opportunities abound to hug the good parts of President Trump and to distance and focus on local issues which are really gonna be a major point of difference between Republicans and Democrats in 2022.

REICHARD: We know Donald Trump may very well run again for president, but let’s suppose that he does not. Let’s talk about a few possible GOP presidential contenders to watch.

Last weekend’s political action conference was held in South Carolina, as we said, Sen. Tim Scott’s home state. He was kind of coy when asked if he’s considering a run for president. How would you size up Tim Scott as a contender for the nomination?

KLINK: Tim Scott would be a very powerful representative for the Republican Party if he decides to run. He's already said he's not going to run for reelection again to the United States Senate. But he obviously has not ruled out running for president. Obviously African American, United States senator, small business owner. He can talk about the struggles that hard working men and women face around the dinner table. But he also has an international perspective on politics and world events. He would be very powerful.

We also, though, can't forget South Carolina's former governor, Nikki Haley, who also is determined to throw her hat into the ring. And again, she presents a really interesting picture for a Republican nominee. Obviously female of South Asian descent, has Executive Office experience running for governor, extremely well-spoken, gets the international issues. So two from the state of South Carolina.

Interesting enough, you may have two Scotts as well, because you have former governor, now Senator Rick Scott from Florida who faces a challenging re-election in 2022. But if he wins, which is highly probable, he gets essentially a free ride to run for president in 2024 because even if he were to lose, he still has four more years left on his Senate seat. But he is a very large business owner. He has Executive Office experience in a very multicultural, diverse state. He knows what it takes to run and win in a competitive environment.

So, we have two South Carolinians and two Scotts that are at the front of that list. DeSantis, governor of Florida. He has made great hay for himself by positioning himself as the anti- de Blasio, Andrew Cuomo, Governor Gavin Newsom of California. They haven't struggled with mask mandates that have so burdened other coastal cities like California, where I live, and New York. You know, I think the field is going to be long and deep, and a lot of different people are going to throw their hats in. And that election is a lifetime away, but Republicans will have lots of choices, with or without Donald Trump deciding to run again.

REICHARD: Okay, so Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, Rick Scott, and Ron DeSantis. Now let’s talk about the former vice president of the United States, Mike Pence. You’d think as the most recent Republican vice president, he’d be a top contender for the nomination. But he did lose favor with many Trump supporters when he presided over certifying the presidential vote. Matt, do you think he can overcome that?

KLINK: So, the big challenge for Mike Pence is that, you're right, he did lose favor with some of the Trump supporters. But he was also a loyal Trump follower for four years as his vice president, which I would argue is probably the most difficult job in politics. He has a very strong following among Christian conservatives. He's run a talk radio show. He's incredibly well-spoken. I just think that being a former vice president, it's a tough office to run for president from. Obviously, Joe Biden was able to surmount that. But I just think that there are more dynamic, younger candidates in the race. And if Republicans were smart, I think that they should choose a high energy, middle-aged candidate, someone who looks toward the future, not harkens back on the past.

REICHARD: Former Republican National Committee chairman Reince Preibus said that he thinks the odds of Donald Trump running again are close to 100 percent. What do you think? Do you see any possible reasons why Trump might not run again?

KLINK: I agree with Reince. I think that Donald Trump does still have a taste in his mouth for being president. I think that he is clearly still shaken by the loss in 2020 to Joe Biden in what arguably will go down in history as one of the most unique elections ever—and I'm not talking about voter fraud or anything like that—just with all the law changes because of the pandemic and things of that nature. I think that Donald Trump has to believe that square up, head to head, he could beat Joe Biden in a normal election.

Look, the challenge that he faces right now, though, is being president comes with a ton of accolades and praise, but not a day goes by when somebody doesn't criticize you. And Donald Trump got the worst of that with the majority 95 percent plus of all media stories during his presidency were viewed as negative. The Democratic Russian hoax that was perpetuated for four years, that really cast a pall over his presidency. Part of me says, why would he want the hassle? He could be kingmaker from behind the scenes. He has a lot of money that he could direct toward candidates. He could rebuild the party in his image, the conservative populist image. But the men and women who run for president, they love being in the spotlight. So it would not surprise me if he were to run again. He's doing everything I would expect a potential candidate to do in terms of staying relevant, making sure he comments on the pressing issues of the day. But, you know, look, he got 74 million votes, but the Democrats brought out 81 million votes. So, again, he's polarizing, so there are pluses, but there are also some pretty significant minuses for Donald Trump to run for reelection.

REICHARD: If Trump does run again, will we see any kind of a primary contest or will other GOP candidates just step aside you think?

KLINK: It's almost a certainty that he will face a primary. You don't give anyone, even a former president, a free ride to the White House. I mean, look, even Hillary Clinton in 2016, she wasn't given a free ride. She wasn't given a very serious competition, but had she been given more competition, she probably would have been a better candidate. No one should get a free ride. The office is too important to let anyone skate in. And, look, Donald Trump's proven he can handle himself. I think what would be fascinating would be to see him on stage with some of the younger candidates now to see if the energy level and the attention to detail and the ability to connect with people is still there. I mean, look, we don't need any more 75-80-year-old white men presidents. We need 55-year-old or 60-year-old men or women with strong conservative values that are going to move our country away from the precipice of socialism and critical race theory and we need someone who is eloquent and vivacious and has the verve to get that done. And I don't know if an older candidate can do that right now.

REICHARD: Final question and this is just for fun, Matt: in one sentence, can you describe this political era we are in right now?

KLINK: This political era we're in right now is a bizarro universe. Up is down, down is up, right is wrong, which makes it so much fun for people who are political professionals, but probably frustrating to voters. And I'm sorry, that was probably a compound sentence. [laughs]

REICHARD: We'll leave it with that. Matt Klink with Klink Campaigns has been our guest. Matt, thanks so much!

KLINK: Thank you so much for having me.

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