Hurd has been an unabashed critic of former President Donald Trump, and he didn't hold back in the video announcing his latest campaign.
The way Hurd tells it, the soul of the nation "is under attack" and our enemies are conspiring to sow chaos and jeopardize the American dream. He pointed to rising illegal immigration, inflation, homelessness and crime and said it's happening under liberals' watch.
"President Biden can't solve these problems, or won't," Hurd said. "And if we nominate a lawless, selfish, failed politician like Donald Trump — who lost the House, the Senate and the White House — we all know Joe Biden will win again.
"Republicans deserve better. America deserves better. It's common sense," he continued.
To win the White House, Hurd will have to defeat conservative powerhouses like Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, both of whom are popular among the Texas GOP electorate. Also in the running are former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, to name a few.I’m in.
— Will Hurd (@WillHurd) June 22, 2023
Join me at https://t.co/UoYuhkf2zJ pic.twitter.com/M19lU9GzDh
“Too many of these candidates in this race are afraid of Donald Trump,” Hurd reportedly said of his fellow Republican primary contenders.
Hurd, a former CIA officer, decided against seeking reelection to Congress in 2019. CNN notes that he was the lower chamber's only Black Republican at the time and that he previously served on the House Intelligence Committee.
Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, doesn't think that Hurd will fare particularly well in the GOP primary race — "but he knows that, too." Many politicians run for the White House even if they know they won't win because they want to relay a message they think the nation needs to hear, he said. Plus, their name recognition will grow for any future political campaigns.
Hurd's brand of common-sense, cooperative and bipartisan politics is something that the country parted ways with decades ago, Jillson said. Some voters may want to return to that as the national standard, he continued, "but that's not where we are today."
Joining such a crowded field, Hurd will have to have his wits about him, he added. The Texas Republican will need to come up with a plan that takes him from "zero to plausibility" in a reasonable time period.
"Will Hurd is an attractive and accomplished guy," Jillson said, "and this is not his moment."
