In February 2019, the Republican National Committee voted to provide undivided support to Trump.[5][6] Several states canceled their primaries and caucuses.[7] Other states were encouraged to use "winner-takes-all" or "winner-takes-most" systems to award delegates instead of using proportional allocation.[8][9]
Trump became the presumptive Republican presidential nominee on March 17, 2020, after securing a majority of pledged delegates.[10] Donald Trump received over 18 million votes in the Republican primary, the most ever for an incumbent president in a primary as well as the most for any Republican in a presidential primary.[citation needed]
Despite his generally high approval ratings and popularity by Republicans throughout his first presidency,[11] numerous pundits, journalists and politicians speculated that PresidentDonald Trump might face a significant Republican primary challenger in 2020 because of his historic unpopularity in polls, his association with allegations ofRussian interference in the 2016 United States elections,his impeachment, and his support of unpopular policies.[12][13][14] In August 2017, reports arose beginning that members of the Republican Party were preparing a "shadow campaign" against the president, particularly from the moderate or establishment wings of the party. Then-Arizona senatorJohn McCain said, "Republicans see weakness in this president."[15][16]Maine senatorSusan Collins,Kentucky senatorRand Paul, and formerNew Jersey governorChris Christie all expressed doubts in 2017 that Trump would be the 2020 nominee, with Collins stating "it's too difficult to say."[17][18] Former U.S. senatorJeff Flake claimed in 2017 that Trump was "inviting" a primary challenger by the way he was governing.[19] However, longtime political strategistRoger Stone predicted in May 2018 that Trump might not seek a second term were he to succeed in keeping all his campaign promises and "mak[ing] America great again".[20]
Some prominent Trump critics within the GOP, including 2016 presidential candidateCarly Fiorina,[21] former senatorJeff Flake,[22] and former Massachusetts governor and current U.S. senatorMitt Romney[23] stated they would not run against Trump for the nomination in 2020.
In 2017, there were rumors of a potential bipartisan ticket consisting of Republican Ohio governor and 2016 presidential candidateJohn Kasich and Democratic Colorado governorJohn Hickenlooper.[24] Kasich and Hickenlooper denied those rumors.[25][26] In November 2018, however, Kasich asserted that he was "very seriously" considering a White House bid in 2020.[27] In August 2019, he indicated that he did not see a path to win over Trump in a Republican primary at that time, but that his opinion might change in the future.[28]
After re-enrolling as a Republican in January 2019,[30] former Republican governor ofMassachusetts and2016 Libertarian vice presidential nomineeBill Weld announced the formation of a 2020 presidential exploratory committee on February 15, 2019.[31] Weld announced his 2020 presidential candidacy on April 15, 2019.[32] Weld was considered a long-shot challenger because of Trump's popularity with Republicans; furthermore, Weld's views on abortion rights, gay marriage, marijuana legalization, and other issues conflict with socially conservative positions dominant in the modern Republican party.[33] Weld received 1.3% of the vote in the Iowa caucuses and one pledged delegate to the2020 Republican National Convention on February 3, 2020.[34][35] Weld withdrew from the race on March 18, 2020, after Trump earned enough delegates to secure the nomination.[36]
Former U.S. representativeJoe Walsh was a strong Trump supporter in 2016, but gradually became critical of the president. On August 25, 2019, Walsh officially declaredhis candidacy against Trump, calling Trump an "unfit con man".[37] He then ended his campaign on February 7, 2020, following a poor performance in the Iowa Caucuses. Walsh called the Republican Party a "cult" and said that he likely would support whoever was the Democratic nominee in the general election.[38] According to Walsh, Trump supporters had become "followers" who think that Trump "can do no wrong", after absorbing misinformation from conservative media. He stated, "They don't know what the truth is and—more importantly—they don't care."[39]
Former South Carolina governor and former U.S. representativeMark Sanford officially declaredhis candidacy on September 8,[40] but suspended his campaign two months later on November 12, 2019, after failing to gain significant attention from voters.[41]
Despite the mostly nominal status of his opposition, Trump campaigned during this primary season, holding rallies in the February primary andSuper Tuesday states.[42][43]
The president won every primary by wide margins and clinched the nomination shortly after the Super Tuesday primaries ended. While the results were never in doubt, the primary wasn't without controversy.Several states postponed their primaries/caucuses due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, and others continued with in-person voting[44][45][46][47][48] while Trump's claims about fraud related to by-mail voting discouraged expansion and promotion of such voting.[49]
More than 150 individuals who were not major candidates also filed with theFederal Election Commission to run for president in the Republican Party primary.[75]
The individuals in this section had been the subject of the 2020 presidential speculation but publicly said they would not seek the presidency in 2020.
TheRepublican National Committee (RNC) did not host any official primary debates. On May 3, 2018, the party voted to eliminate their debate committee, which, according to CNN, served as "a warning to would-be Republican rivals of President Donald Trump about his strong support among party loyalists".[132] Trump declined any interest in participating in any primary debates, saying he was "not looking to give [opponents] any credibility".[133] Debates among the challengers were scheduled without the RNC's involvement.
Business Insider hosted a debate on September 24 featuring two of Trump's primary challengers. It took place at the news outlet's headquarters inNew York City, and was hosted byBusiness Insider's CEOHenry Blodget, politics editor Anthony Fisher, and columnist Linette Lopez.[134] Walsh and Weld agreed to attend, but Sanford had a scheduling conflict and eventually declined.[135][136] An invitation was also sent to the president, but he also declined.[136]
TheWashington Examiner reported on December 19, 2018, that theSouth Carolina Republican Party had not ruled out forgoing a primary contest to protect Trump from any primary challengers. Party chairman Drew McKissick stated, "Considering the fact that the entire party supports the president, we'll end up doing what's in the president's best interest."[142] On January 24, 2019, anotherWashington Examiner report indicated that the Kansas Republican Party was "likely" to scrap its presidential caucus to "save resources".[143]
In August 2019, theAssociated Press reported that the Nevada Republican Party was also contemplating canceling their caucuses, with the state party spokesman, Keith Schipper, saying it "isn't about any kind of conspiracy theory about protecting the president... He's going to be the nominee... This is about protecting resources to make sure that the president wins in Nevada and that Republicans up and down the ballot win in 2020."[144]
On September 6, 2019, both of Trump's main challengers at the time, Bill Weld and Joe Walsh, criticized these cancellations as undemocratic.[145] The Trump campaign and GOP officials cited the fact that Republicans canceled several state primaries whenGeorge H. W. Bush andGeorge W. Bush sought a second term in1992 and2004, respectively; and Democrats scrapped some of their primaries whenBill Clinton andBarack Obama were seeking reelection in1996 and2012, respectively.[146][147] Weld and Walsh were joined by Mark Sanford in a joint op-ed inThe Washington Post on September 13, 2019, which criticized the party for cancelling those primaries.[148]
Kansas,[149] Nevada and South Carolina's state committees officially voted on September 7, 2019, to cancel their caucus and primary.[7] TheArizona Republican Party indicated two days later that it would not hold a primary.[150] These four were joined by theAlaska Republican Party on September 21, when its central committee announced they would not hold a presidential primary.[151]
TheNevada Republican State committee chairman said the committee would meet on February 23, 2020, and bind their delegates to Trump.[153]
TheHawaii GOP voted to cancel its primary and bind its 19 delegates to Trump on December 11, 2019.[154]
TheNew York GOP on March 3, 2020, decided to cancel its primary after neither De La Fuente, Weld, nor Walsh submitted the required number of names of their delegates in order to qualify for their ballot.[155] The delegate candidates bound to the president were thus automatically elected.
Other states were instead encouraged to usewinner-takes-all systems to award delegates instead of using proportional allocation "to avoid dissent" at the convention.[8]
Incumbent PresidentDonald Trump speaking at his first campaign rally in Melbourne, Florida, on February 18, 2017
February 18, 2017: Donald Trump informally announces his candidacy for a second term and holds the first of a series of occasional reelection campaign rallies inMelbourne, Florida, only one month after assuming office.[156]
Former Gov. Bill Weld announcing the formation of his exploratory committee on February 15, 2019. He launched his campaign two months later.Former Rep. Joe Walsh announced his campaign on August 25, 2019. He withdrew after finishing Iowa with 1%.Former Rep. Mark Sanford announced his campaign on September 8, 2019. He withdrew from the race two months later.
January 17: Former Massachusetts governorBill Weld changes his voter registration from Libertarian back to Republican, furthering speculation he will announce a primary challenge against Trump.[160]
January 23: TheRepublican National Committee votes unanimously to express "undivided support" of Trump's "effective presidency".[5]
July 30: Intending to force Trump to reveal his taxes, Democratic California governorGavin Newsom signs a bill into state law requiring that presidential candidates release the last five years of their tax returns in order to qualify for theCalifornia primary ballot. Republican presidential candidateRocky De La Fuente files suit directly challenging the constitutionality of the law.[167][168]
August 5–6: Additional lawsuits are filed by the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee, theCalifornia Republican Party, and the conservative activist groupJudicial Watch to challenge the California law requiring candidates to release their tax returns.[169][170]
August 25: Former Illinois congressmanJoe Walsh officially announces his candidacy, becoming the president's second official notable challenger.[171]
September 7: Three state committees vote to cancel their respective primaries/caucuses: Kansas,[149] Nevada, and South Carolina.[7]
September 8:
Former South Carolina governor and congressmanMark Sanford officially announces his candidacy, becoming the president's third notable challenger.[40]
As the California law requiring candidates to disclose their tax returns works its way through the courts, the California Republican Party modifies its delegate selection rules as a stop-gap measure, changing its primary from abinding to anon-binding one with a party state convention selecting its national convention delegates directly.[172]
September 9: The Arizona Republican Party officially notifies Arizona secretary of stateKatie Hobbs that they will forego the Arizona Republican primary.[150]
September 21: The Alaska Republican Party cancels its primary.[173]
September 23: Donald Trump qualifies for the Vermont primary.[174]
October 1: Deadline for state parties to file delegate selection plans with the Republican National Committee.[175]
October 26:Politicon debate between the main challengers.[137]
October 28:Forbes debate between the main challengers.[138]
October 31: Minnesota committee submits only Trump's name for the primary ballot.[176][177]
November 8: Filing deadline to appear on the Alabama Republican primary ballot. Mark Sanford and Joe Walsh failed to appear, while Donald Trump and Bill Weld both qualified.[178]
Filing deadline to appear on the Arkansas Republican primary ballot. Mark Sanford (who dropped out the day of the deadline) and Joe Walsh fail to appear, whileRocky De La Fuente,Donald Trump, andBill Weld qualify.[179]
November 21: The California Supreme Court declares that the state law requiring primary candidates to disclose their tax returns violates the state constitution and cannot be enforced.[181]
November 26: Rocky De La Fuente filed a lawsuit against the state of Minnesota alleging that its ballot access law for presidential primaries is unconstitutional. Minnesota had previously barred all other candidates from its Republican presidential primary other than Donald Trump on October 31.[182]
December 6: The California Secretary of State released the list of "Generally Recognized Presidential Candidates" for the upcoming March 3, 2020 election, including seven Republicans.[183]
December 11:
The Hawaii Republican state committee cancels the caucuses and appoints 19 national convention delegates and binds them to Trump, who receives his first official victory.[154]
A state court affirms the South Carolina's GOP's right to cancel its primary.[184]
December 18: The House of Representatives formally votes almost along party lines toimpeach Trump.[185]
January 9: Trump holds his first "Keep America Great" Rally of the year at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio.[188]
January 17: Early voting begins in Minnesota.[189]
January 18: First of a series of district conventions in North Dakota, which elect delegates to the state convention. The North Dakota Republican Party does not hold any presidential preference caucus or primary per se, but instead selects their national convention delegates directly at the state party convention.[190][191]
January 30: Trump holds a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, the largest event of the caucus campaign.[192]
January 31: The Kansas Republican convention assembles, where the second delegation to the national convention is chosen and officially bound to Trump.[193][194][149][195]
Trump wins all 13 Super Tuesday primaries: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Vermont.[204]
New York cancels its Republican primary after Trump is the only candidate to submit the required number of names of his delegates.[155] The candidates for delegate are declared elected.[205]
March 10: Trump wins all 6 races held on this date: Idaho,[206] Michigan, Mississippi, and Missouri;[207] as well as Washington (where he was the only candidate on the ballot),[208] and North Dakota (a non-bindingfirehouse caucus where he was also unopposed).[209]
March 14: All nine delegates in the Guam convention are pledged to Donald Trump.[210]
March 15: Trump wins all nine delegates in the Northern Mariana Islands Republican caucuses.[211]
March 17: With wins in Florida and Illinois giving him a majority of delegates, President Donald Trump becomes the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.[212]
June 2: Trump wins all 8 Super Tuesday primaries: Indiana, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and the District of Columbia primaries.
2020 Republican Party presidential primaries, rules
Open primary
Semi-closed primary
Closed primary
Canceled
Some later primary and caucus dates may change depending on legislation passed before the scheduled primary dates.[228] States designated with a "†" indicate that Trump ran unopposed.
Filing for the Republican primaries began in October 2019. "Yes" means the candidate is on the ballot for the primary contest, and "No" means a candidate is not on the ballot. A “W” indicates a candidate qualified for the ballot but withdrew from the primary, the color indicating if the candidate's name appeared on the ballot (red for not on the ballot, green for on the ballot). States that did not announce candidates who are on the ballot are not included.
Bids for the Republican National Convention were solicited in the fall of 2017, with finalists being announced early the following spring. On July 18, 2018,Charlotte, North Carolina'sSpectrum Center was chosen as the site of the convention.[158]
In June 2020, disagreements with the North Carolina government over COVID-19 social distancing rules caused the major events of the convention, including Trump's acceptance speech, to be moved toVyStar Veterans Memorial Arena inJacksonville, Florida. Due to contractual obligations, official convention business was still conducted in Charlotte.[292]
This is an overview of the money used by each campaign as it is reported to theFederal Election Commission (FEC) and released on February 20, 2020. Totals raised include loans from the candidate and transfers from other campaign committees. The last column, Cash On Hand (COH), shows the remaining cash each campaign had available for its future spending as of January 31, 2020.
^Because Trump was the only candidate to declare for its ballot by the deadline, the Hawaii Republican Party automatically awarded its national pledged delegates to him on December 11, 2019.[3]
^Kansas' state committee, at the state convention, passed a resolution binding its delegates to Trump on February 1, 2020.[4]
^Robert Ardini, President R. Boddie, Stephen B. Comley Sr.,Bob Ely, Larry Horn,Zoltan Istvan, Rick Kraft, Star Locke, Matthew Matern, Mary Maxwell, Eric Merrill, William N. Murphy, and Juan Payne
2020 U.S. presidential election
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Florida[51][d]
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Mike Pence
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Illinois
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