Former Texas Congressman Will Hurd announced Thursday that he is seeking the 2024 Republican nomination for president, saying he was “pissed” that other candidates aren’t addressing “generational-defining challenges” in the economy and education.
“This morning, I filed to be the Republican nominee for president of the United States,” Hurd, 45, told “CBS Mornings.” “This is a decision that my wife and I decided to do because we live in complicated times. And we need common sense.”
“There are a number of generational-defining challenges that we’re faced with in the United States of America,” Hurd went on.
“Everything from the Chinese government trying to surpass us as the global superpower; the fact that inflation is persistent at a time when technologies like artificial intelligence is going to upend every single industry; and our kids, there have been scores in math, science, reading are the lowest they’ve ever been in this century.
“These are the issues we should be talking about. And to be frank, I’m pissed that we’re not talking about these things. I’m pissed that our elected officials are telling us to hate our neighbors,” Hurd added. “Our neighbors are not our enemies. They’re our fellow Americans who we just happen to have a disagreement with. … And I believe the Republican Party can be the party that talks about the future, not the past.”
Hurd represented Texas’ 23rd District in the House from 2015 to 2023 and was chairman of Oversight’s technology subcommittee as well as the vice chairman of Homeland Security’s border subcommittee.
Hurd will join 11 other GOP candidates in seeking the party’s nomination, including former President Donald Trump, 77, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 44, who are leading the race in national polls.
“Let’s be honest, Never-Trumper Will Hurd wouldn’t even consider getting in this race if Ron DeSantis’ campaign wasn’t in total free fall,” Make America Great Again Inc. spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Thursday. “Hurd’s entry means nothing for President Trump’s standing, but means everything for Ron DeSantis, further underscoring how far Ron’s star has fallen.”
According to the RealClearPolitics polling average, Trump enjoys 52.2% support in the primary, followed by DeSantis (21.4%), former Vice President Mike Pence (5.7%), former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley (3.6%), Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina (3.5%), former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (2.3%) and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (2%).
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, conservative radio host Larry Elder and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum are polling at less than 1% support.
Many candidates have already taken a hardline stance on economic and educational issues, with Trump pledging new tariffs on Beijing and DeSantis telling Fox News’ Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday night that the US is far too “dependent on China” and “need[s] to establish our economic sovereignty.”
As the only declared Republican candidate in January, Trump also rolled out educational proposals to cut federal funding for schools that push “critical race theory, gender ideology or other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content onto our children.” He also promised “civil rights investigations into any school district that has engaged in race-based discrimination” and said he would “keep men out of women’s sports.”
Hurd in a separate video announcement of his campaign on Twitter criticized Trump as a “lawless, selfish, failed politician” and President Biden as a leader who “can’t” or “won’t” face problems like illegal immigration, inflation, crime and homelessness — while alluding to a favorite line of the current president’s that “[t]he soul of our country is under attack.”
Biden, 80, who is the front-runner for the Democratic nomination next year, has referred to recent US elections in the wake of Trump’s presidency as a “battle for the soul of America.”
DeSantis has campaigned in the primary on his highly conservative record as Florida governor after signing into law a Parental Bill of Rights in Education that bans teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools before fourth grade; a prohibition on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy; and another ban on federal or state funding for colleges’ diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Hurd appeared to distance himself from candidates to the right of him in his announcement, arguing for a vision of “America that acknowledges science, addresses mental health and is inclusive and understanding” and “harness[es] technologies like artificial intelligence to grow American jobs, not unemployment.”
The candidate also touted his record as an undercover CIA officer who “hunted down terrorists in the Middle East after 9/11” and former member of Congress who “fought to lower taxes, secure our border and provide more opportunities for the middle class.” He did not mention the intelligence agency by name.
The announcement also weighed in on popular reforms to education promoted by DeSantis and Scott, with Hurd pledging that “every child, regardless of location or age, has access to a safe, world-class education.”
DeSantis earlier this year signed a sweeping school choice bill into law in the Sunshine State, and Scott has promoted similar bills in the Senate.
Hurd is the third-youngest declared GOP candidate in the race, with only DeSantis and the 37-year-old Ramaswamy younger.
