Former Governor of Massachusetts (1991-1997) Bill Weld is attempting to gain traction in his campaign against President Donald Trump for the Republican ticket in the upcoming 2020 election.
The first of only three Republicans to launch a campaign against President Donald Trump, Weld faces near-impossible odds in succeeding. A Nov. 2019 poll by The Washington Post showed that Trump holds a  74 percent approval within the Republican party.

In addition to governor, Weld has served as Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division. He was also the running mate of Gary Johnson in the Libertarian Party’s historic success in 2016 campaign, with the best ever electoral results in the party’s history.

In response to Weld’s unorthodox transition between parties, Masters’ Next Generation Politics Co-President Sebastian Sawhney said, “[Weld’s] switch to the Libertarian party was less about ideology and more about finding a spot.” Sawhney then compared Weld’s angle in the 2016 campaign to his current one, calling it a tactic to keep him in the political spotlight for future–and possibly more attainable–governmental positions.

Sawhney cited one of Weld’s strengths to be his amiable persona. He said, “Weld comes off as very moderate, very reasonable. If you listen to him speak, he is very much an established politician.” Lastly, speaking on the slim chances of Weld’s success in attaining the Republican ticket, Sawhney said Weld’s generally centrist views and origin of the heavily democratic Massachusetts may allow him the ability to gain Democrats’ votes in a general election.  

Despite his slim chances, in an interview with National Public Radio (NPR), Weld professed his long desire to be president. He said his experience in politics has allowed him to develop the necessary skills “to start the job Monday.”

The direction of the Republican Party has been in question since the launch of Trump’s campaign in 2016 with a controversial agenda. Washington Bureau Chief David Lauter, wrote in an August LA Times report, “President Trump has remade the Republican Party in his populist image.” According to the Weld campaign website, Weld affirms his “old-fashioned Republican” identity. He stated, “I believe in a well-run economy, a pragmatic foreign policy and moderation on social issues.”

While serving as Governor of Massachusetts, he was rated the most fiscally conservative governor in the United States in office. Weld’s campaign website professes a primary goals of his is to  countering the recently foreshadowed economic recession through reigniting the workforce through education and increasing the availability of work visas for immigrants. 

According to Nathaniel Rakich at FiveThirtyEight, an online publication focusing on statistical analysis of American politics, Weld’s chances of winning the Republican ticket is low. Rakich, writing on the matter, said, “In all likelihood, President Trump would crush any Republican who tries to primary him. An incumbent president has not lost a bid for renomination since Chester A. Arthur at the GOP convention in 1884.” He then said that Trump’s high approval rating within the party further lessens Weld’s odds. However, the premise of his campaign poses a divide within the Republican Party: Weld calls Trump a “‘Rino’– Republican in name only”, citing the poor alignment of his views in juxtaposition to the Republican Party.