Conditions might be right in New York for a younger Trump to seek public office, now that Republican Rep. Pete King is not seeking re-election on Long Island in 2020, with two names coming up: Donald Trump Jr. and President Donald Trump's senior campaign adviser and daughter-in-law Lara Trump.
"Among Republican voters, Trump is still a magic name," King told The New York Times for a Monday article. "I've been with Don Jr. several times on Long Island. Was with Lara once at a fundraising event. She handles herself very well. She's good with people."
King added that although there is "real solid opposition" to the president in his district and a "tremendous amount of anti-Trump energy," Lara Trump could still win, or "at the very least it would be very competitive."
Lara Trump, who is married to Trump's son Eric, popped up in a poll last week — which was funded by the conservative anti-tax group Club for Growth — that showed her winning in a hypothetical Republican primary race for King's seat by more than 30 points.
"Word spread rapidly about the poll," John Jay LaValle, the former chair of the Suffolk County Republican Party and a Trump surrogate in 2016, told The Times. "I have not heard one person say a negative thing about it."
Club for Growth president David McIntosh said Lara Trump did not have anything to do with the poll, but the committee wanted to try luring her into the race. She says she's "incredibly honored" by the poll and would "never close the door on anything in the future," but her focus now is on helping her father-in-law win a second term.
Trump Jr. has also been floated as a possible candidate for New York City mayor, although he would likely be a longshot to win because the city has a strong Democratic base and his father is not popular there.