Senate Republicans worry 2024 lineup could give Trump easy access to nomination
Rachel Schilke
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Senate Republicans fear that a heavily stacked GOP lineup for the 2024 presidential race could open doors for former President Donald Trump to clinch the party’s nomination easily.
Trump and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley are the only two Republican presidential candidates to have declared a 2024 bid, with more expected to join the field later on, such as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Other names thrown around include Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) and former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR).
TRUMP MADE MISCALCULATION ABOUT THE FIELD IN THE 2024 GOP RACE
However, while a large pool could be seen as an opportunity for options for Republican voters, some GOP senators are worried about the large lineup backfiring.
“Look, we were all concerned with the fact that we had 15 or 16 or 17 individuals vying for attention in the last one. We really don’t want to see that happen again,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) told the Hill. “We just don’t.”
Many senators are taking a stance of neutrality at this point in the race, with few offering any criticism of Trump or stating that he is not their preferred candidate.
However, tensions between Senate Republicans and Trump have been high since the loss of the House in 2018, the loss of the White House and Senate in 2020, and the GOP’s less-than-expected performance in the 2022 midterm elections — failures that the GOP has been quick to blame on the former president.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has said in the past he will not let candidate quality “doom” the 2024 races.
Senators worry Trump will glide through the GOP primaries to secure the party’s nomination and bring back another 2020 election — with their fears being confirmed in recent polling.
A poll from OnMessage showed that in a two-way battle, DeSantis would lead Trump 53% to 38%. However, when another candidate is thrown into the mix, such as Haley, the numbers shift drastically. A Remington Research Group poll showed Trump jumping forward and leading DeSantis and Haley.
“DeSantis is polling well against Trump — as long as no one else runs,” FiveThirtyEight wrote in its summary of the poll.
There are some senators who have expressed their support of Trump’s 2024 bid, including Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), J.D. Vance (R-OH), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK).
A large pool of GOP candidates will make it difficult for Trump to aim his attacks at everyone, but he is wasting no time launching criticism and jeers at his only opponent. Taylor Budowich, head of the Make America Great Again PAC, responded to Haley’s campaign announcement, calling her a “career politician” who resigned from working for Trump as his U.N. ambassador to “rake in money on corporate boards.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) offered words of encouragement to Haley in anticipation of ramped-up attacks from Trump and his campaign.
“I think she’s an impressive person,” Cornyn said of Haley. “I don’t envy her [for] all the attacks she’s going to receive, but unfortunately, that’s part of the process.”
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Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said in an interview with the Washington Examiner that Haley would likely get a “full hearing from Republican voters.”
“Obviously, she won’t be the only one running,” Rubio said. “President Trump might be a very talented communicator from the modern era and has already won a nomination once before. I still think he’s the favorite, but we will see how it all plays out.”