Senate Whip John Thune told CNN there will be “other attractive” Republican candidates in 2024 besides Trump, echoing comments earlier this week from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who predicted it would be crowded. And Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota and a member of the bipartisan Task Force, said he thinks it would be healthy for the GOP to have a debate about who their next standard-bearer should be. “I certainly hope we get a full stadium so we can have a robust discussion,” Johnson told CNN. “Trump will have a certain amount of built-in support. So yes, he will be ahead in the early polls. But I also know that these primaries almost never go according to script.” “That’s why you have to let the process unfold,” he added. While Trump still maintains more support among Republicans than any other would-be challenger, there are growing fears within the GOP about Trump’s potential legal troubles and political baggage, which has some lawmakers eyeing his bench of alternatives party, according to the Republicans, who spoke on condition of anonymity. speak more freely. There is particular concern in GOP circles about the criminal investigation by the Fulton County District Attorney’s office, which is investigating a conspiracy by Trump and his allies to appoint bogus electors in Georgia in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election results. As Crenshaw put it: it would be “dumb” to pick a GOP candidate who ends up being indicted, though he said he’s not making predictions about the outcome of those investigations. “I’m not going to support Donald Trump for president or anything,” said Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, a leading anti-Trump voice in the GOP who voted to convict Trump in both of his impeachment trials. “I think he has done our party a disservice and I think he continues to do so.” But most Republicans — even those who fear another Trump nomination — are signaling they’ll fall in line if he eventually throws his hat in the ring and wins the primary. “It’s always been my practice to support the nominee,” Thune said when asked if he would support Trump as the GOP nominee even if he questioned his fitness for office. As the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot publicly released damaging details about Trump’s role in the Capitol attack, the former President has begun weighing an early run for the White House — possibly even before the midterms. tenures — in an effort to both freeze the field and shift the narrative. His staunchest allies welcomed the idea of another Trump term. “Chairman Pelosi’s January 6 Commission is nothing more than a partisan scam. The American people see right through it,” House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik said in a statement to CNN. “I strongly support President Trump and hope he runs again in 2024. And if the election were held today, there’s no doubt he would beat Joe Biden. Even with Trump threatening to run again, several Republicans have begun exploring potential presidential runs and meeting with donors. Some of them have not ruled out directly challenging Trump for the nomination if he decides to enter the race. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Georgia and RSC member, told CNN he thinks it would be “great” to see multiple candidates compete for the party’s nomination, noting that while he would “probably” support Trump, he is also friends with Florida Gov. Ron DeSandis and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — both former members of the House. Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington, one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump on sedition charges, agreed, saying they should see “who has all the best ideas.”
2024 hopefuls take a stage on Capitol Hill
The Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus of conservatives on Capitol Hill, hosted a number of those 2024 candidates over the past year — including Pompeo, Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and former South Gov. Carolina’s Nikki Haley — and offered them a platform to share their vision and build alliances in Congress. The group has also met several times with Trump. Most recently, the group met with former Vice President Mike Pence, who telegraphed in several high-profile moves this week that he is actively exploring a 2024 presidential run and working to gain ground in Trump-weary corners of the Republican Party. “That’s what’s made the RSC important, is that we’ve put up the flag for where the party goes from here,” Rep. Jim Banks, an Indiana Republican who chairs the Republican Study Committee, told CNN. “The RSC has always believed that if we adopt the Trump agenda as our party platform, then our party will be stronger and healthier than ever.” During a closed-door meeting with the RSC on Wednesday, some members thanked Pence for his actions on Jan. 6 — when he oversaw the certification of the 2020 election results — and others encouraged him to run for president in 2024 , according to those present. “I’m a fan (of Pence). I’m not here to push him one way or the other,” said Rep. Don Bacon, Republican of Nebraska. “But I like his character.” GOP Rep. Greg Pence of Indiana said he hopes his brother decides to run for president and would support him “100 percent” if he does. When asked if Pence sounded like someone with his eyes in the Oval Office, Johnson replied: “Whenever someone who’s not a member of the House or the Senate comes to DC and gives a speech, I think it’s a pretty fair assumption that they have at least some interest”. Banks previously identified himself as an early supporter of a possible Pence 2024 campaign if Trump sits on the sidelines in the next election cycle. But Banks, who has emerged as one of Trump’s staunchest supporters on Capitol Hill and may be wary of appearing too supportive of one of Trump’s potential 2024 opponents, predicted Wednesday that Trump would clear the field and he will go on to win the White House if he chooses to. I run. “If Donald Trump doesn’t run for president in ’24, then we have the best field we’ve ever had,” Banks said. “If Donald Trump does run, I think he sweeps the field, he’s the candidate, and I think he wins by a landslide in November 2024.” Others, however, may have a harder time picking sides in a crowded qualifier. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Florida, told CNN he would support Trump if he announced a presidential run at this time. But he said the same about DeSantis. “It’s hard to play because neither of them are coming out” right now, Mast told CNN. “But in a hypothetical of things, they both have my support.” Some Republicans dodged questions about 2024, saying they were focused on the upcoming midterm elections. “I’m not going to get involved in the presidential primaries,” said Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, a member of the GOP leadership. “I’m not going to worry about the presidential election until we get well into the Iowa caucus,” added Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. “But anyone who wants to run for president will have to compete for it.” CNN’s Ted Barrett contributed to this report.
