RNC shuts down Hutchinson’s push to amend loyalty pledge amid Trump indictment drama

Members of the RNC leadership arranged a phone call with Hutchinson on Thursday, but the former governor himself did not participate in the call, only an employee. During the brief call, RNC leaders declined to make any changes to the debate requirements, telling the staffer that the committee is “not delving into hypotheses” about Trump’s legal fate. One of those with knowledge of the call described it as “contentious.”

In a statement, Richard Walters, senior adviser to the RNC, said the Republican primary candidates are simply “required to respect the decision of the Republican primary voters and support the eventual candidate.”

“Candidates who complain to the press about this should seriously reconsider their priorities and whether they should run at all,” Walters said.

While it’s unclear whether Hutchinson would meet the other requirements for the August debate, the back-and-forth between the campaign and the RNC highlights the dilemma the latter faces. Forcing candidates to pledge allegiance to one another seems to be directly in the party’s interest. But with the former president’s long list of legal disputes hanging over next year’s campaign, that now poses some risk, including for the committee’s commitment to primary neutrality.

Hutchinson, who is currently at about 1 percent in the latest polls, told POLITICO on Wednesday that he intends to ask the committee to adjust the wording of the pledge. He doubted he might need to support a candidate who could be found guilty of felony charges after Trump’s 37 charges were dropped earlier in the week. He said he also plans to talk to some of his fellow opponents in the primary about a similar motion.

“I won’t vote for him if he’s a convicted felon,” Hutchinson said in an interview. “I will not vote for him if he is convicted of espionage, and I will not vote for him if he is convicted of other serious crimes.” And I will not support him.”

“You have to put a little rationality into what’s being said in that oath or that promise,” Hutchinson continued, referring to the RNC.

The committee recently released its requirements for attendance at its first sanctioned debate, scheduled for Aug. 23 in Milwaukee on Fox News Channel. As well as the usual criteria of minimum survey and donation thresholds, this included signing a pledge to “support the prospective party nominee,” although the RNC has not yet shared the exact wording of that oath.

POLITICO reached out to the other declared candidates, but none said they wanted the RNC to change the pledge of allegiance. A spokesman for former Vice President Mike Pence’s team didn’t immediately dismiss Hutchinson’s proposal, but said, “We want President Trump on the debate stage because we think that would be a good contrast for us.”

A spokesman for Chris Christie’s campaign team, meanwhile, said the former New Jersey governor “was pretty clear about his thoughts on the promise and any future support for Trump, conviction or not.”

Christie has said repeatedly this year that he will not support Trump if he is the nominee. Last week, Christie said he would sign the RNC’s pledge to debate it but only take it “as seriously as Donald Trump did eight years ago.” Trump signed a similar pledge in the 2016 election, but later said he would not necessarily commit to supporting anyone else as a candidate. When asked about such a pledge this spring, Trump would not promise to back the eventual 2024 candidate.

A representative for Larry Elder said the California-based candidate does not believe changes should be made to the RNC’s pledge of allegiance, while a representative for Michigan businessman Perry Johnson said Johnson intends to support the candidate regardless of a pledge of allegiance. In a statement to POLITICO, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who entered the race Wednesday, said Trump was presumed innocent until proven guilty and it would be “foolish” for the RNC to make changes to its protocol at this point.

In addition to the pledge of allegiance, starting next month, candidates must score 1 percent in at least three polls, attract 40,000 individual donors to their campaigns, commit not to participate in debates not sanctioned by the RNC, and enter into a data-sharing agreement with the national party. You have up to two days before the debate to meet the criteria.

Some lesser-known candidates in this space, including Hutchinson, are struggling to meet the minimum donor and voter thresholds. Hutchinson on Wednesday declined to say how many donors he had won in his application, but noted that the RNC donor requirements were exponentially greater than the number he needed in his successful national races. He won his last gubernatorial election with 65 percent of the vote — and fewer than 3,000 donors.

“We still have a long way to go,” Hutchinson said.

The RNC has made Trump’s legal woes a topic of some of his recent fundraising calls, though since Trump’s federal case last week, the committee has sent fewer emails and text messages on the subject of impeachment than it did when he was convicted of alleged confidentiality with New York state indictments earlier this year was confronted with paying money to a porn star.

But the subjects of the emails mirror those used by the Trump campaign itself to advocate for the former president’s defense. They’ve asked recipients to judge for themselves whether the prosecution amounts to “political revenge” under the guise of a poll, while others include phrases like, “Our borders are teeming with illegals, but radical Democrats have turned their attention AGAIN to the.” Charges directed against Trump.” ”

Saul Anuzis, former Michigan GOP chairman and a previous nominee for the RNC’s chair, said he doesn’t think the committee’s neutrality in the primary is in question, although the RNC has opposed Trump’s impeachment.

“I don’t think there’s a reason from a political perspective to distance ourselves in any way,” Anuzis said, referring to the RNC’s fundraising for the Trump cases and maintaining the pledge of allegiance.

“If another candidate were attacked, I think they would probably do the same,” he added. “It might not be as effective, but I think it’s a legitimate issue.”

Jessica Piper and Adam Wren contributed to this report.