National Review staff writer and veteran David French says he will not seek the presidency in what would have been a long-shot bid as a potential conservative alternative to Republican nominee Donald Trump.
French, in a column posted on National Review‘s website, said that given the short amount of time before the November election, the best potential alternatives to Trump and Democratic front runner Hillary Clinton would be either a very wealthy individual or someone with “transformational” political talent. With that in mind, French said he is not the right person for the job, though he believes former presidential candidate Mitt Romney “could win.”
His post was initially shared on Twitter:
After much thought and prayer: I’m Not Running for President https://t.co/lqWQtPL5Q5
— David French (@DavidAFrench) June 6, 2016
The lawyer, author, and Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran lamented the nomination processes of both the Democrats and the Republicans.
“Never before have both parties failed so spectacularly, producing two dishonest, deceitful candidates who should be disqualified from running for town council, much less leader of the free world,” French wrote.
Some interest in French began to swirl after Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol last week named him as an alternative to Trump. But a third-party candidacy would be difficult to launch for any candidate—even one as well known as Romney. French, meanwhile, has far less name recognition than Trump and Clinton and would have none of the financial might and political connections that comes with being the nominee of a major political party.