The 2024 presidential election is still years away, so few have dared make predictions about the race.
However, virtually all polling suggests that former President Donald Trump would easily win the Republican Party‘s presidential nomination — no conservative politician even comes close to the former commander-in-chief in terms of popularity.
Trump, for his part, has made it clear that he intends to launch a comeback presidential bid. But what if, for some reason, he doesn’t? That would leave the GOP presidential field wide open.
Here are four possible GOP presidential candidates in 2024.
Josh Hawley
As Deseret News reported, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley rose to national prominence when he led the effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and block Democrat Joe Biden from assuming the presidency.
The move allowed Hawley to position himself as Trump’s heir in the eyes of MAGA conservatives, who make up a significant portion of the GOP base.
A graduate of Stanford and Yale, Hawley has also tried to cast himself as an economic populist, calling for legislation to break up technological monopolies such as Facebook and Google.
Rick Scott
Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who also servers as the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has been one of the Republican Party’s most prodigious fundraisers.
Fundraising prowess aside, Scott has been one of Biden’s loudest conservative critics. Last week, he became the first senator to float using the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to remove the president from office.
"After the disastrous events in Afghanistan, we must confront a serious question: Is Joe Biden capable of discharging the duties of his office or has time come to exercise the provisions of the 25th Amendment?" Scott asked in a Twitter post.
Ron DeSantis
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has seen his nationwide popularity among conservatives surge amid the coronavirus pandemic.
By pushing back against vaccine mandates, mandatory masking, lockdowns and other public health policies, DeSantis has established himself as a proper MAGA star.
Echoing Trump, DeSantis has repeatedly attacked the news media and engaged in sparring with popular Democratic figures.
The governor has also taken on Biden and the federal government, and criticized public health experts like NIAD Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is widely disliked by conservatives.
Kristi Noem
Much like DeSantis, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has opposed public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, earning the support and admiration of conservative voters across the U.S.
Notably, Noem enjoys Trump’s support and he reportedly considered swapping her for Mike Pence as his running mate in the 2020 election cycle.
The governor has signaledthat she wants to run for the White House. She recently attended a key conservative gathering in Des Moines, Iowa and registered a federal political action committee.
