Apr 4, 2021
A way too early look into potential 2024 GOP Presidential Candidates
After Joe Biden won the 2020 election, Democrats got control over the White House, Senate, and the House of Representatives, thereby establishing a federal trifecta for the first time since 2009. Since then, the Republican Party, also known as the GOP, has started forming strategies for not only the upcoming 2022 midterm elections but also the 2024 Presidential Election. At the moment, it is way too early to even predict who will run for president, but there are a couple of possible contenders. In this article, we will be looking into potential 2024 GOP Presidential Candidates.
Donald Trump
Yes, one of the more likely candidates is our former President Donald Trump. Many sources say that he is considering running again in 2024. Though he lost the 2020 election and had 2 impeachment proceedings against him, he is still a popular figure in the Republican Party. A recently conducted poll at CPAC found that almost 55% of the respondents would vote for him in a hypothetical 2024 election scenario. Though it seems like a small majority, it is actually a very big lead considering the runner-up percentage in this poll was 21 percent. That is almost a 34 point lead over the next possible contender. In an already uncertain future for the Republican Party, such a lead for Donald Trump is certainly favorable for him. Trump also has his own PAC (Political Action Committee) called Save America. This PAC is currently helping fund Republican candidates for the 2022 midterms. Whether he is the GOP Presidential candidate in 2024 or not, Donald Trump will certainly have a big influence on the Republican Party.
Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantis is another big figure in the Republican Party today. Currently, he is the governor of the state of Florida. Despite only winning narrowly over the Democratic opponent Andrew Gillum in 2018, he is quite popular in the state today with a recent poll showing that 53% of Florida voters approving of his job as governor. DeSantis is one of former President Donald Trump’s allies and is a Trump-like figure in the GOP himself. His rise in popularity in the GOP can be attributed to his response to the coronavirus in Florida, with many Republicans applauding him. Though he hasn’t publicly announced that he is interested in running for president in 2024, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him announce a run in the coming years. The same CPAC poll that showed 55% of respondents voting for Trump in a hypothetical 2024 election also showed that 21% of respondents would vote for DeSantis. Though it seems like a tiny percentage, 21% is still a big number in a time where a figure like Donald Trump has a big influence over the party.
Mike Pence
Before serving as Vice President under Donald Trump, Mike Pence was the governor of the state of Indiana. That being said, it shouldn’t be too surprising that he is on this list. In the history of the United States, 14 vice presidents went on to become the president. Despite all this, he doesn’t have a smooth road ahead. Currently, in the Republican Party, the largest voting bloc is Trump supporters, and Mike Pence isn’t too favorable among them. Since the 2020 election, his favorability among many Republicans and Trump supporters has gone down. So much so that hypothetically, if Trump were to win the GOP presidential nomination, it is extremely likely that Pence wouldn’t be his pick for VP. Even with all this, Mike Pence is determined and is likely going ahead to lay the groundwork for running. Though he currently seems to be one of the more unlikely candidates, all we can do right now is wait and see.
Mike Pompeo
Mike Pompeo is no stranger to the world of politics, having served as the Secretary of State under former President Donald Trump. A couple of months ago, after leaving office, Mike Pompeo released a cryptic tweet that said “1,384 days.” At the time it was tweeted, this was the countdown to the November of 2024 when the 2024 election would be held. This itself was a big sign to many that Pompeo himself would run for the GOP nomination. Though he hasn’t set much groundwork yet, it wouldn’t be a surprise when he does announce his candidacy. However, with that being said, there isn’t much other information about his plans for 2024. So till then, we gotta wait and see.
Larry Hogan
Larry Hogan is currently the governor of Maryland. What sets him apart from the rest of the people on this list is that he is much more liberal than them. He is one of the few liberal Republicans within the party and that isn’t the only thing that makes him unique. He also has a large approval rating, with an October poll showing him having a whopping 73% approval among Marylanders. His approval among Democrats is higher than his approval among Republicans. Yes, you heard that right. A Republican is approved more by Democrats than people of his own party. In the same poll, it showed that Hogan had more support in suburbs like the Washington-Metro areas rather than the stereotypical Republican rural areas. However, in Hogan’s case, his greatest strength may end up becoming his biggest weakness. Most of the GOP voting bloc doesn’t favor liberal Republicans that much. Looking at the rightward direction of the GOP, it is tough to see a scenario where Hogan could win the GOP nomination. However, it isn’t all that bad for him. Hogan has made it clear that he wants to play a role in both the direction where the Republican party is headed, along with the nation. He’s definitely a very aggressive candidate and the proof for that is the fact that he even got elected as governor. Maryland is a heavily Democratic state, having gone to Biden by more than 30 points, or 1 million votes. So it would be mind-blowing to imagine a Republican candidate winning in this state by nearly 10 points. Though the road ahead for him may seem unclear or pessimistic, Larry Hogan is certain to not go down without any attempt.
Those are just a handful of potential candidates that I felt have a chance at winning the nomination for the GOP’s Presidential Candidate. I know that I have left out many other probable picks such as Ted Cruz (R-TX), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Kristi Noem (R-SD), but I have done so for a reason. Candidates like the ones I mentioned in the sentence before have either already run for president, or have a lot of exposure in the GOP. In this article, I felt like it would be better to shed light on some of the lesser-known candidates (other than Trump as I couldn’t have made an article about potential GOP presidential candidates without mentioning him). Again, as I mentioned many times before, it is way too early to even decide which candidates are probable to run as it hasn’t even been a full 100 days since Joe Biden became president. However, there is still room for speculation. With all this, there are still many questions. Are any of the candidates on this list going to be the GOP’s presidential nominees? Will Donald Trump be the GOP’s nominee again? What if Larry Hogan succeeds at achieving the GOP’s nomination? Currently, there are no answers to all these questions, so all we can do right now is wait and see what the future will be like.
Bibliography:
