First Republican to challenge Donald Trump raises their hand
William Weld, a former governor of Massachusetts who two years ago ran for vice president on the Libertarian Party ticket, on Monday became the first Republican to challenge President Donald Trump in the 2020 primaries.Weld, 73, said in announcing his candidacy that "it is time to return to the principles of Lincoln - equality, dignity and opportunity for all." He said, "There is no greater cause on earth than to preserve what truly makes America great.
Fiscally conservative but socially liberal, Weld is known for an unconventional, at times quirky, political style and a long history of friction with the party he now seeks to lead. Alternately a politician, federal prosecutor, investment banker, lobbyist and even novelist - his political mystery called "Mackerel by Moonlight" was published to mixed reviews in 1998 - the Harvard-educated scion of a prominent Boston family was a lifelong Republican before bolting the GOP to run on the Libertarian Party ticket with former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson in 2016.
Weld has not won a political race since being re-elected governor by a landslide in his heavily Democratic state in 1994. He was first elected to the office in 1990, defeating a conservative Democratic candidate, and quickly became one of Massachusetts' most popular governors in recent history.While holding the line on spending and taxes, Weld as governor embraced liberal positions at odds with national Republicans on abortion and gay rights.
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