Vermont's Republican governor endorses Bill Weld, not Trump, in 2020 presidential primary

Two weeks before Vermont's presidential primary March 3, GOP Gov. Phil Scott endorsed former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld for the 2020 Republican presidential nomination, passing up the incumbent, President Donald Trump.

"I've met with him before," Scott said of Weld. "I think a lot of him and his platform, so I would be supporting him."

Scott and Weld are from the libertarian wing of the Republican Party, and both have been fierce critics of Trump.

"I'm a great admirer of [Gov. Phil Scott] of Vermont," Weld said in a tweet after a news conference Saturday. "VT has been well served in the past by Republican governors, and Gov. Scott admirably extends that tradition."

Scott supported impeachment proceedings against Trump. This month, after the Senate's acquittal of Trump, Scott doubled down on his dissent in a State House news conference.

"I believe that the president abused his powers," Scott said, according to The Associated Press. "I didn’t vote for the president, and I don’t believe that he should be in office."

Vermont's primary falls on Super Tuesday, when a third of the Democratic delegates needed to win the nomination are up for grabs in 14 state contests.

Aside from Trump and Weld, the only Republican presidential nominee on Vermont's primary ballot will be California businessman Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente.

Weld has presented little challenge for Trump, winning just one delegate after the Iowa caucuses, where he had less than 2% support, and the New Hampshire primary, where he got 9% of the vote.

Contact Ethan Bakuli at ebakuli@freepressmedia.com or follow him on Twitter @BakuliEthan.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Gov. Scott makes endorsement for 2020 Republican presidential nominee