Meet four under-the-radar Republicans toying with a 2024 run
Ryan King
Video Embed
A number of potential Republican 2024 candidates have hinted at getting into the race in recent weeks, setting up what could be a very crowded primary field.
The under-the-radar Republicans have been trying to gain ground while other currently undeclared hopefuls such as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), former Vice President Mike Pence, and former Gov. Chris Christie continue to test the waters.
FOUR SENATE RACES IDENTIFIED BY MITCH MCCONNELL THAT COULD GIVE GOP CONTROL IN 2024
Here are four Republicans who are flirting with the idea of announcing.
Rick Perry
Former Energy Secretary and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry said in a recent CNN interview he hasn’t “written off” the prospect of jumping into the presidential fray.
“I’m still trying to sort that out for myself,” he replied when asked if he would back Trump, declining to do so.
Perry unsuccessfully vied for the GOP nod in 2012 and 2016. He served as governor of Texas for more than 14 years. After clashing with Trump in the 2016 primary, he went on to endorse him and later joined his administration.
Will Hurd
Although he has technically kept a 2024 campaign on the table for some time, former Texas Rep. Will Hurd raised eyebrows for teasing that a decision will come “very soon.”
Unlike other potential aspirants such as Pence or Christie, Hurd hasn’t sparked much chatter with high-profile outings to early states such as Iowa and New Hampshire. He did attend the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Annual Spring Kick-Off last month, an early pit stop for presidential hopefuls, but it didn’t generate much attention.
Hurd made it clear over the weekend that a 2024 decision will be forthcoming.
“Look, the decision has to be made about my future sometime very soon,” Hurd told NBC’s Meet the Press. “I think the decision on anybody on what their future in politics [is] has to be done before Memorial Day.”
Hurd worked for the CIA for nine years, then served in the House from 2015 to 2021.
Francis Suarez
DeSantis and Trump may be the most famous Floridians in the 2024 race, but Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is also considering getting into the race, according to Politico.
“I’m here, because I’m a Hispanic mayor, a Republican, who was considering running for president,” he told the news outlet in a recently published interview.
Similar to DeSantis’s boasting about Florida, Suarez sees his record in Miami of lowering taxes, reducing crime, and improving economic growth as a model for the country. Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said she has pushed for him to be on a ticket in 2024.
“I’ve not been shy about telling President Trump that Suarez should be on the short shortlist for VP should Trump be the nominee,” Conway told Politico.
However, Suarez has said he is not interested in being vice president.
Doug Burgum
Speculation has long surrounded South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who, as recently as last month, declined to rule out a run. But up in North Dakota, Republican Gov. Doug Burgum is also keeping his options open.
“No decisions have been made about 2024 at this time. We’re still completely focused on getting finished up with this legislative session right now,” Burgum told a local reporter last week.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
At the moment, there are at least seven candidates who have declared they are running: Trump, former U.N. Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, businessman Ryan Binkley, conservative personality Larry Elder, and businessman Perry Johnson.
Others, such as DeSantis, Pence, Christie, Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH), and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), are also eyeing a run.