LAS VEGAS (AP) — No fewer than 10 major Republican White House prospects stepped onto the ballroom stage this weekend for the unofficial opening of the next presidential primary season. Within many speeches was an extraordinary sense of defiance rarely seen since former President Donald Trump took control of the Republican Party six years ago. Their central message: This is the moment for the party to move past Trump. But as Trump’s rivals grow more confident, some donors and party officials worry that the crowded 2024 class may already be laying the groundwork to recreate Trump’s success in 2016. That year, a crowded Republican field splintered the primary electorate and gave Trump an easier path to the nomination.
Trump’s growing GOP challengers revive fears of 2016 repeat
