Election 2024: Will Hurd Candidate Profile

By Eva Levin

Former Republican Congressman Will Hurd launched a long-shot bid for the presidency on CBS Mornings. Hurd intends to position himself as a moderate option to more extreme candidates, like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former president Donald Trump. “Our neighbors are not our enemies,” he said during his announcement. “They’re our fellow Americans who we just happen to disagree with.”

Hurd represented Texas’s 23rd Congressional District from 2015 to 2021. During his time in Congress, Hurd gained a reputation as a pragmatic and moderate Republican who was willing to work across the aisle to find bipartisan solutions to various issues. He is a former intelligence officer in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and his knowledge of national security matters. He served in the CIA for nearly a decade, specializing in counterterrorism and cybersecurity. As of now, he is the only Republican presidential candidate with a background in the CIA, further distinguishing himself from the crowded Republican primary field.

During his announcement, Hurd emphasized his desire to combat China’s growth as a global superpower and ensure the US will not be surpassed. He also said the “soul of the nation is under attack,” and his administration will restore America to pre-Trump times. Hurd has not been included on most mainstream polls for the Republican primary, and did not qualify to be included in the first Republican Presidential debate. He is polling with less than 1 percent.