Pence Dispatched To Charm GOP Elders, Get Never-Trumpers On Board For 2020

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 05: Vice President Mike Pence takes a phone call on Capitol Hill following a mock swear-in ceremony for U.S. Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ) on September 5, 2018 in Washington, DC. The former senator ... WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 05: Vice President Mike Pence takes a phone call on Capitol Hill following a mock swear-in ceremony for U.S. Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ) on September 5, 2018 in Washington, DC. The former senator Kyl was tapped by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey to replace the late Sen. John McCain. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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Vice President Mike Pence has been dispatched by the Trump reelection effort to woo the reigning GOP donor class and to convince the deep-pocketed and Trump-resistant patricians to support the President this time around.

According to a Thursday Politico report, Republicans think they’ll need $1 billion for the reelection effort to counter Democrats’ enthusiasm — a figure only possible if old-school conservatives get on board.

“The conventional wisdom and the quote ‘word on the street’ in November of 2016 through spring of 2017 was that if you publicly criticized Donald Trump as a candidate, you need not apply to a position. You won’t be considered, you won’t be invited to the White House Christmas party or anything else,” Art Pope, an affluent donor who did not back Trump in 2016, told Politico. “That is not the conventional wisdom now.”

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