在该州即将到来的3月3日初选中，佛蒙特州共和党州长菲尔·斯科特支持挑战者比尔·韦尔德，这是共和党对唐纳德·特朗普总统罕见的指责。
斯科特周六表示支持前马萨诸塞州共和党州长韦尔德，他将在共和党总统初选中挑战特朗普据报告的。上周在新罕布什尔州初选中输给特朗普后，韦尔德表示，他将至少通过3月3日的“超级星期二”初选来扩大自己的竞选活动，该初选包括佛蒙特州和全国其他13个州。斯科特与威尔德一样，认同共和党中的自由意志派，此前曾暗示他可能会支持共和党的主要挑战者特朗普去年的2020年连任竞选。
斯科特周六说:“威尔德州长是候选人之一，我以前见过他，我想他和他的政纲很多，所以我会支持他。”。
斯科特对韦尔德的支持仅比佛蒙特州初选提前了三个百分点，并使自己成为全国少数几个支持特朗普长期竞争对手的州或地方共和党人之一。前伊利诺伊州共和党众议员乔·沃尔什于2月7日结束了对特朗普的初选，前南卡罗来纳州州长马克·桑福德于11月结束了初选。只有加州商人洛奇·德拉·富恩特和焊缝一起继续挑战。
这位佛蒙特州共和党州长此前暗示，他将考虑特朗普以外的总统候选人2019年5月每周新闻发布会。“哦，当然，是的，”斯科特在被问及是否会支持威尔德而不是特朗普后告诉记者。“我不知道还有谁会把他们的名字放在那里。我听说过一些其他的名字，所以我现在还不准备支持任何人...我认为[·韦尔德]很有趣，非常清晰，非常直率。我不同意他所说的每一件事，但是有很多事情我都同意他。他是个有趣的家伙。”
前美国律师韦尔德感谢斯科特周六在社交媒体上的支持。
“我非常崇拜@佛蒙特州的州长斯科特，我很高兴在超级星期二的共和党总统初选中得到他的支持。佛蒙特州在过去得到了共和党州长的良好服务，州长斯科特令人钦佩地延续了这一传统，”威尔周六在推特上评论道，分享了斯科特在佛蒙特州首府蒙彼利埃发表的声明。
特朗普在他的连任竞选中一直获得共和党初选选民的压倒性支持，并将大部分批评集中在他的潜在民主党挑战者身上。在上周佛蒙特州邻近的新英格兰州的初选之前，新罕布什尔大学进行的一项民意调查发现，共和党初选选民支持特朗普的比例比支持韦尔德的比例高83个百分点。
佛蒙特州共和党州长菲尔·斯科特在即将到来的3月3日的州初选中支持挑战者比尔·韦尔德。
REPUBLICAN VERMONT GOVERNOR REBUKES TRUMP, ENDORSES CHALLENGER BILL WELD AHEAD OF 'SUPER TUESDAY' PRIMARY
In a rare Republican rebuke of President Donald Trump, Vermont GOP Governor Phil Scott endorsed challenger Bill Weld in the state's upcoming March 3 primary.
Scott offered his endorsement Saturday of Weld, the former Republican governor of Massachusetts, who is challenging Trump in the GOP presidential primaries, WPTZ-TV first reported. After losing to Trump in the New Hampshire primary last week, Weld said he would extend his campaign at least through the March 3 "Super Tuesday" primaries which includes Vermont and 13 other states across the country. Scott identifies with the libertarian wing of the Republican Party alongside Weld, and had previously suggested he might endorse a GOP primary challenger to Trump's 2020 re-election campaign last year.
"Governor Weld is someone who is on the ticket, I've met with him before, I think a lot of him and his platform so I would be supporting him," Scott said Saturday.
Scott's endorsement of Weld comes just three ahead of the Vermont primary and puts himself forth as one of the few state or local Republicans across the country to embrace one of Trump's long-shot primary challengers. Former Illinois GOP Congressman Joe Walsh ended his primary challenge against Trump on February 7, and former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford ended his primary challenge in November. Only California businessman Rocky De La Fuente has continued his challenge alongside Weld.
The Republican Vermont governor previously hinted he would consider a presidential candidate other than Trump during a May 2019 weekly press conference. "Oh sure, yes," Scott told reporters after being asked if he would potentially support Weld over Trump. "I don't know who else is going to put their name out there. I've heard some other names floating around, so I'm not ready to get behind anybody at this point ... I thought [Weld] was interesting, very articulate, very forthright. Didn't agree with everything that he said, but there were a lot of things I agreed with him on. He's an interesting guy."
Weld, a former U.S. attorney, thanked Scott for endorsement Saturday on social media.
"I'm a great admirer of @GovPhilScott of Vermont, and am delighted to have his endorsement in the Republican presidential primary on Super Tuesday. VT has been well served in the past by Republican governors, and Gov. Scott admirably extends that tradition," Weld remarked on Twitter Saturday, sharing Scott's announcement from Vermont's capital city, Montpelier.
Trump has sustained overwhelming support among Republican primary voters throughout his re-election campaign and has focused most of his criticism on his potential Democratic challengers. A University of New Hampshire poll conducted before last week's primary in Vermont's neighboring New England state found that Republican primary voters favored Trump over Weld by an 83 percentage points.
Vermont GOP Governor Phil Scott endorsed challenger Bill Weld in the upcoming March 3 state primary.
