Bill Kristol’s ‘Candidate’ David French Will Not Run

The conservative lawyer and writer who was pundit Bill Kristol’s choice to make an “independent” bid for the presidency has declined to give it a go. “After days of prayer, reflection, and serious study of the possibilities, I am not going to run as an independent candidate for president of the United States,” David French wrote in a National Review Online post Sunday evening. “The best chance for success goes to a person who either is extraordinarily wealthy (or has immediate access to extraordinary wealth) or is a transformational political talent,” he conceded. “It is plain to me that I’m not the right person for this effort.”