GOP primary brawl starts this week at CPAC and Republicans say they welcome the fight

Next year’s Republican primary is destined to be a bloody one, but conservative leaders say they don’t mind a bruising fight for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

Former President Donald Trump and other Republican hopefuls begin competing against each other in person this week at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, which kicks off Wednesday at Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in suburban Maryland, outside Washington.

Mr. Trump, the dominant candidate so far, is expected to use the CPAC stage to snipe at his 2024 opponents as he has done on his Truth Social media site in recent weeks — including his top target, Ron DeSantis. The Florida governor, meanwhile, has not committed to attending the event. Mr. DeSantis is widely expected to launch his own 2024 bid after the Florida legislative session ends in May.

But Mr. Trump has already assigned unflattering nicknames and criticized his rival’s accomplishments, casting the Florida governor’s policy accomplishments in the Sunshine State as a poor imitation of Mr. Trump’s own successes in the White House.

CPAC President Matt Schlapp told The Washington Times a big brawl in the primary is fine if it leads to a nominee who can battle their way to victory in the general election.

“I’m good with it,” Schlapp said. “Not in the sense that I think all of it is good, or ennobling.  But I think it’s just the way the process is, and we need to have somebody survive this process who’s ready for perhaps the biggest political fight we’ve ever had in this country’s history.”

Mr. Trump is a beloved figure at CPAC.

Mr. Schlapp said the conference is neutral in the emerging primary battle, but that Mr. Trump is an important figure to him and his wife, Mercedes, who served as a top communications aide in the Trump administration.

“CPAC has a special affection for President Trump and most Americans are realizing how much they miss his common sense policies,” Mr. Schlapp said. “For Mercy and me, it’s personal as President Trump has been a boss, a friend, and a big CPAC booster and we are very proud of what he has accomplished and pleased he is running again.”

The CPAC confab conducts a closely-watched straw poll, which Mr. Trump has won every year since 2017, more than any other Republican in CPAC history.

This year’s poll will again pit him against a field of declared and possible 2024 hopefuls, including Mr. DeSantis.

In last year’s straw poll, Mr. Trump beat Mr. DeSantis among CPAC voters, 59% to 28%. Without Mr. Trump in the field,  61% of CPAC voters picked Mr. DeSantis, leaving all other possible GOP candidates in the dust with low single-digit support.

This year’s CPAC, themed “Protecting America Now,” will feature speeches and glad-handing by prospective candidates. Some are officially in the race, including Mr. Trump and his former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. Others, like former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, are still poking around at the edge of the primary field.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, who has not shown up at CPAC in several years, declined an invite to this year’s event as he contemplates a presidential run.

Biotech tycoon Vivek Ramaswamy announced his candidacy earlier this month and will be attending CPAC.

Mr. DeSantis. Is launching a tour this week promoting his new memoir and is not expected to make an appearance at CPAC. But his political team said they had not announced his plans for the week so there is still a chance he’ll show up.

Mr. DeSantis has registered in polls as the most formidable opponent to the former president. He beats Mr. Trump in some surveys and he polls far above any other non-Trump candidate, including Ms. Haley and Mr. Pence.

Mr. DeSantis, Mr. Schlapp said, “is someone I have great admiration for,” and he’s a good friend.

“He was a great member of Congress,” Mr. Schlapp said. “He had a near-perfect rating with CPAC. He’s been a fantastic governor. We’ve been rooting him on, and we’d love to have him at CPAC. And yeah, I think I think you’d be missing an opportunity not to come.”

Mr. Schlapp said most of the candidates are aligned on the issues, although the GOP is increasingly split on foreign policy issues including U.S. support for the war in Ukraine.

The primary fight, he said, is about picking a nominee who can beat the Democratic candidate, who is presumably going to be President Biden.

The candidate who wins a nasty GOP primary fight will be better prepared for an even dirtier battle against the Democrats in the general election, Mr. Schlapp said.