Frozen: Trump’s primary challengers balk at jumping into the unknown

The proximate cause of the frozen primary is Trump, the former president and only declared candidate in the race. Or, as another prominent GOP strategist put it: “Trump’s best when he’s got an opponent, so don’t give him one.”For Trump’s potential opponents, it may be a matter of self-preservation. Republican presidential candidates will soon face pressures of the calendar, with the Iowa caucuses now just about a year away. They’ve made appearances on behalf of Republican candidates in key states. It’s unclear how receptive audiences — on- or off-line — would be to presidential campaign messages now, anyway.