Donald Trump’s re-election campaign is trying to change party rules to prevent his Republican rivals from challenging the president in 2020.
The battle to secure the GOP nomination, described by aides as the “most aggressive ever launched”, involves a state-by-state effort to crush internal opposition ahead of the election.
While Mr Trump is almost certain to win Republican backing in August next year, his team are determined to avoid an embarrassing fight that could damage his chances against any Democratic candidate.
The new rules, similar to those adopted in Iowa more than a year ago, would make it more difficult for challengers to send anti-Trump delegates to the national convention.
In 2016 virtually all of Iowa’s delegates preferred Texas senator Ted Cruz – regardless of the wishes of party leaders or voters.
“It was embarrassing,” said Iowa GOP chairman Jeff Kaufmann. “It was troubling. To be honest with you, it made me mad. Donald Trump won the Republican nomination fair and square. That was about people not accepting a loss.”
For 2020, a nominating committee selected by a pro-Trump state central committee will control the delegate selection process.
One early success came in Massachusetts last month when Jim Lyons was chosen to serve as the state party chairman over the candidate backed by Republican governor Charlie Baker, a critic of the president.
Another ally, Stephen Stepanek, was elected last week as state party chairman in New Hampshire, where party leaders must technically remain neutral because of its status as the nation’s first primary.
The campaign is also relying on endorsements, lobbying and intense monitoring of potential primary challengers, such as former Ohio governor John Kasich.
Bill Stepien, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, said it was a “process of ensuring that the national convention is a television commercial for the president for an audience of 300 million and not an internal fight”.
“We have a constant focus on tracking everything regarding this process,” Mr Stepien said. “Who’s running, what their level of support for the president is and what their vote counts are.”
One of Mr Kasich’s senior advisers, John Weaver, said the efforts to protect Mr Trump only served to highlight the president’s vulnerability.
“They’re not talented, but they’re not idiotic,” Mr Weaver said. “They rightfully understand that he could be badly damaged or lose in a nomination battle. They’re doing too much. It looks weak.”
Mr Trump already wields control over the Republican National Committee, which voted last month to express its “undivided support” for his “effective presidency”.
However, his aides are hoping to prevent a repeat of the infighting that dogged former president George HW Bush.
In 1992 challenger Pat Buchanan highlighted Mr Bush’s broken pledge not to raise taxes and made a controversial convention speech about a “culture war”, featuring an attack on gay rights, abortion and women in the military.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
