Bill Weld has filed for the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary and is now the first major GOP challenger to officially challenge President Donald Trump in the state.
The filing came on the same day as the House began public impeachment hearings of Trump in Washington.
Weld says if Trump were to be reelected, “I think that would be a tragedy for the country.”
After handing over a cashier's check for $1,000, the filing fee that's stayed the same since 1980, Weld said he's long had a love for the first-in-the-nation primary state.
"This state has a history of not taking its cues from national political parties or anybody in Washington, or anywhere else," he said.
Mark Sanford, the former South Carolina governor and congressman, dropped out of the Republican primary race on Tuesday, leaving Weld and former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh as the remaining major Trump primary challengers.
Walsh is scheduled to file for the first-in-the-nation presidential primary Thursday.