Former Florida Republican Gov. Jeb Bush told CNN in an interview set to air tonight at 7:00 PM that he hopes that somebody will challenge incumbent President Donald J. Trump in a Republican primary because it is important "to have a conversation about what it is to be a conservative" and a GOP challenger could help spark the discussion.
Gov. Bush sat down with former President Barack Obama advisor David Axelrod on the "The Axe Files" to discuss a variety of issues, including his thoughts on the 2020 presidential election.
“I think someone should run just because Republicans ought to be given a choice,” Bush told Axlerod. “It’s hard to beat a sitting president, but to have a conversation about what it is to be a conservative, I think it’s important.”
As for who he guesses might have an opportunity, the 2016 failed presidential candidate implied that GOP Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a popular governor in a blue state, could potentially jump in the race. As Politico noted, Bush felt that he "'kind of got a sense that maybe this was an opening' for Hogan to consider a presidential campaign" after listening to his inaugural speech.
Gov. Hogan has previously chastised the Republican National Committee for "shielding" the president from a 2020 challenger by offering the commander-in-chief undivided support.
“Typically they try to be fair arbiters of a process and I’ve never seen anything like it and I’ve been involved in the Republican Party for most of my life. It’s unprecedented. And in my opinion, it’s not the way we should be going about our politics,” Hogan said in an interview with Politico. “It’s very undemocratic and to say, ‘We’re in some cases not going to allow a debate, we may not have a primary…’”
The interview between Bush and Axelrod is supposed to be "incredibly candid on all fronts" and is part of an ongoing TV series.