Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld says he's got reason to believe his campaign will be "adequately funded" if he jumps in the race. | AP Photo/Juan Labreche 2020 elections Weld sets April deadline for Trump primary challenge

CONCORD, N.H. — Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld says he’s leaning toward challenging President Donald Trump in the 2020 Republican primary, and expects to make a decision in April.

Weld gave the clearest sense of his intentions yet, and laid out a path to the GOP nomination during an appearance on the New Hampshire radio talk show Pints & Politics on Monday afternoon.


"I'm leaning towards doing it unless something changes, and set myself an informal deadline of the month of April to pull the trigger," Weld told reporters here during a stop.

The former two-term governor said he’ll focus on the early-voting state of New Hampshire, which shares a media market with Boston and is located a short drive away from where Weld lives in Canton, Mass.

If he runs, Weld said he expects to be competitive across New England and in the mid-Atlantic states. He also expects his challenge could gain traction in California, which votes the first week in March.

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Weld, who indicated he would make a play for independent voters, millennials and suburban women, floated the idea of secure mobile voting Monday, which would be done from a smartphone, to expand the electorate and draw in younger voters.

As scores of high-profile Democratic candidates tour New Hampshire, Weld acknowledged that persuading independent voters to vote on the Republican ballot next year could be a challenge.

"Some independent voters might conclude choosing between simply two men who have nothing in common other than being large, orange men. And I think politically, the president and I have not very much in common at all. That might be an appealing way to cast a vote that would make a difference," Weld said.

The former governor, who was most recently a registered Libertarian, says he's got reason to believe his campaign will be "adequately funded" if he jumps in the race. Weld said he's looking to traditional avenues of fundraising rather than raising online dollars, and will rely on old contacts from his decades in and out of public service.

"I'm looking for old-school money. My Rolodex of years' past and those I've spoken to," Weld said, adding that he anticipates more financial support running as a Republican than if he were to run as a Libertarian again. In 2016, Weld ran for vice president on Gary Johnson’s Libertarian ticket.

Weld, who announced an exploratory committee in February, has so far made several trips to New Hampshire as a prospective candidate and appeared at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. "I sometimes describe this as getting your ground strokes back," Weld said of his foray into the 2020 fray. "I'm feeling more comfortable with this all the time."

Weld acknowledged taking on the incumbent president will be an uphill climb, and said he's up for a fight against Trump.

"We're working on the nicknames now," Weld said, laughing. "For defense as well as offense."

Following Monday’s radio interview, Steve Duprey, New Hampshire’s RNC national committeeman, drank coffee with Weld before taking him on a tour of downtown businesses in Concord. Duprey told reporters he's committed to keeping the party neutral during the 2020 primary, while Republicans in other states have made moves toward eliminating the GOP primary.

"I always get a fair shake in New Hampshire. Live free or die, baby. That's my motto, too," said Weld, who will spend several days in the state this week. On Tuesday, Weld will meet with GOP Gov. Chris Sununu.

