David French: William Kristol’s Candidate For President — Why The Iraq War Veteran Could Do It
David French, a lawyer who graduated with honors from Harvard Law School, fought in the Iraq War and received a Bronze Star, and now writes for the conservative National Review, appears to be William Kristol’s candidate to be the third party alternative to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, CNN is reporting.
His potential candidacy was brought about by Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard and a staunch opponent of Trump’s candidacy.
The Build-Up To David French
For months, Kristol and Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP nominee, worked behind the scenes to find someone to run against Trump and Clinton. One possibility was former Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn, but in March, he told the Oklahoman that he was not interested.
Another possibility was Romney, but while he was pushing for a third party alternative, he never put his name forth as a possibility.
But this Memorial Day weekend, Kristol tweeted a big announcment.
Just a heads up over this holiday weekend: There will be an independent candidate–an impressive one, with a strong team and a real chance.
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) May 29, 2016
This was met by one of several Tweets from Trump, including this one.
If dummy Bill Kristol actually does get a spoiler to run as an Independent, say good bye to the Supreme Court!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2016
Kristol responded with several Tweets, including the following.
I'm traveling, so hadn't realized I'd so upset @realDonaldTrump. I'm sorry the mere mention of an independent candidate has so unnerved him.
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) May 30, 2016
Up until last week, CNN reported, David French was also pushing Romney to run again.
“If either Trump or Clinton win, America loses,” French wrote for National Review on May 24. “A third-party Romney bid would introduce the chance of a different outcome, giving millions of Americans the important option to choose a man of integrity as their president.”
As it turns out, that man is very likely David French. While he has not yet made any announcement, two of French’s recent tweets suggest that his throwing his hat in the ring is a very real possibility.
I'm incredibly humbled by and grateful for the many expressions of support — thank you.
— David French (@DavidAFrench) June 1, 2016
All the normal political rules apply. The conventional wisdom has been right. An underdog can't win. Right?
— David French (@DavidAFrench) June 1, 2016
Who is David French?
After finishing law school, French became president of the Foundation For Individual Rights In Education (FIRE), according to their website. FIRE exists to defend “freedom of speech, legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience,” their website stated.
In 2005, French resigned as president of FIRE, stating his desire to enlist in the Iraq War, where he served as Squadron Judge Advocate for the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and was awarded the Bronze Star.
He is also the co-author of Rise of ISIS: A Threat We Can’t Ignore, with Jay Sekulow, Gordon Sekulow, and Robert Ash, which is a New York Times bestseller.
French’s wife, Nancy French, is a writer as well, who has a column with Patheos, a religious website that says it is “Hosting the Conversation on Faith.” She and David co-wrote Home and Away: A Story of Family in a Time of War, a book about their lives during his tour of duty in Iraq. According to her website, she also wrote a book on Christmas with Sarah Palin, as well as a biography of Bristol Palin.
David and Nancy French live in Tennessee with their three children.
But Is David French a Viable Candidate?
Should he officially run for president, French will have numerous obstacles. As NBC stated, “Perhaps the bigger question is can a relatively unknown private citizen mount a presidential bid in five months against one of the most well-known public servants and an internationally-known mogul and reality television star?”
Also, the deadline for getting on many state ballots could be another obstacle — Texas’ deadline, for instance, was a few weeks ago.
Romney has already tweeted his support of a potential French candidacy.
I know David French to be an honorable, intelligent and patriotic person. I look forward to following what he has to say.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) June 1, 2016
When approached by NBC News, Nancy French said, “He’s been trying to get other people to run for a long time, so that’s probably why people are considering him, you know, because he’s been very adamantly anti-Trump, or at least Never Trump, Never Hillary.”
When asked if he will run, she said it would “be quite jolting to our lives if that is the case.”
She added, “But he’d be great. We just don’t know if it’s the right thing for him to do.”
What do you think? Will David French run for president as an independent candidate? And, should he?
[Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]
