Trump critic Will Hurd joins 2024 GOP presidential race

Ex-Rep. Will Hurd, a moderate Black Republican who represented a swing border district in Texas, Thursday joined the crowded 2024 GOP presidential race by denouncing former President Donald Trump as a “lawless, selfish, failed politician.”

The frequent critic of former President Donald Trump said he is throwing his hat in the ring to bring a straight-talking approach to the GOP contest and warned Trump would hand the White House back to President Biden if nominated.

“Republicans deserve better. America deserves better,” Hurd told CBS News.

“Common sense says we are better together,” he added. “You know it. There’s more that unites us than divides us.”

Hurd, who is little known nationally, vowed to focus on America’s geopolitical and economic challenges and steer clear of the divisive rhetoric the rest of the GOP field is peddling.

“I’m pissed that our elected officials are telling us to hate our neighbors,” Hurd said. “Our neighbors are not our enemies. They’re our fellow Americans who we just happen to have a disagreement with.”

Hurd, a former CIA agent, served six years in Congress representing a district that stretched 500 miles along the Rio Grande from near El Paso to the outskirts of San Antonio. For two years, he was the only Black Republican in the House of Representatives.

Despite an inspiring resume, Hurd enters the race as a prohibitive underdog. Even among the Trump critics in the field, he would sit far behind former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Arkansas’ Asa Hutchinson in name recognition.

Trump holds a dominant lead in the race with around 50% support in most polls, although one recent survey showed his support softening a bit after his indictment in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case.

DeSantis is running a distant second and has suffered through a rocky campaign rollout.

But he remains well ahead of the rest of the pack, including former Vice President Mike Pence, ex-UN ambassador Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) among others.

Many pundits believe the crowded field benefits Trump by dividing up the votes of the nearly half of GOP voters who believe a different choice would have a better chance of unseating Biden.