Former Texas Representative Will Hurd joins the crowded GOP field, attacks Trump

Will Hurd, a former Republican Representative from Texas, has entered the 2024 Republican presidential primary, and his strategy seems to involve explicit attack campaigns against former President Donald Trump.

Trump allies and longtime Republican strategists think the efforts to attack the former president will only boost his campaign.

Hurd is a former CIA officer, and he served in Congress from 2015 to 2021.

The former lawmaker was one of the few vocal critics of Trump from inside the GOP.

The Republican didn't run for reelection ahead of the 2020 cycle, noting Trump's influence over the party as a reason.

"The soul of our country is under attack," Hurd says in a video announcing his run.

"Liberals do nothing. President Biden can't solve these problems, or won't, 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," Hurd added.

"Still, four GOP operatives familiar with Trump's reelection strategy quietly laughed at the former congressman's bid, and even two veteran anti-Trump Republican campaign veterans believe that Hurd, who has yet to register any support in presidential polling, will only pull votes away from Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in the primary," the Washington Examiner reports.

"Hurd is running an explicitly anti-Trump campaign. He hits him in his announcement, so the voters he is going for and the donors he is going for were never going to go to Trump," a Trump ally explained. "They could have gone to Ron though."

"Anybody not named Trump that gets in is good for Trump," a second MAGA-linked official said. "Especially a literal deep state agent who announces just after Trump is charged in the documents witch hunt."

"This is so pointless. I'd say he might ruin DeSantis's already slim chance of victory, but I'm not even sure he'll pull enough votes to make a dent," an anti-Trump veteran Republican strategist said.

Trump has not yet to commented on Hurd's announcement, which two former administration officials said "shows you all you need to know about how much of a joke this guy is."