Can Tucker Carlson shape the 2024 race?

Tucker Carlson Continues to Play a Key Role in the GOP Presidential Race

Tucker Carlson may no longer have his prime-time spot on Fox News to reach millions of Republican voters, but that hasn’t stopped him from playing a burgeoning role in the race for the GOP’s presidential nomination.

Carlson recently sat down with several 2024 Republican candidates at the Family Leadership Summit in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday. Although former President Donald Trump was absent, other high-profile candidates such as Sen. Tim Scott, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Gov. Ron DeSantis attended and took the stage with Carlson.

The Power of Carlson’s Influence

The summit, led by Bob Vander Plaats, brings together evangelical conservatives in Iowa, a state that will kick off the 2024 nominating race with its first-in-the-nation caucuses. This event could help Carlson reemerge as a dominant conservative kingmaker in the race.

“Bob Vander Plaats and Tucker Carlson are generating mutually reinforcing legitimacy,” said Scott Huffmon, a political scientist and founder of the Center for Public Opinion & Policy Research at Winthrop University. “Vander Plaats has the ear of Iowa evangelicals, and Carlson still carries the imprimatur of the seasoned culture warrior.”

Huffmon highlighted Carlson’s focus on social issues as an example of his relevance to conservatives. “He was going on rants about wokeness before Ron DeSantis learned the word woke,” he said. “He is still kind of seen in certain corners as giving the nod to these are the issues that people like us should care about.”

Carlson’s Journey and Influence

Fox News removed Carlson from his prime-time position in April following the network’s settlement of a $787.5 million lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems. Unflattering text messages from Carlson, where he denigrated Trump, were released prior to the settlement.

However, Carlson quickly rebounded by launching a show on Twitter in June. Although the show garnered millions of views, it hasn’t reached the same level of influence as his Fox News program. Additionally, Carlson faced criticism for conducting a lengthy interview with social media influencer and alleged sex trafficker Andrew Tate.

“I think it’s pretty clear his platforms and his influence have decreased,” said GOP consultant Matt Mackowiak. “That said, he maintains a lot of credibility on the Right as someone who is seen as a straight shooter and is willing to tell you exactly what he thinks and why he thinks it.”

Upcoming Engagements and Future Partnerships

Carlson is also set to speak at the Turning Point Action Conference, another conservative gathering, in West Palm Beach, Florida, this weekend. Charlie Kirk, founder and president of Turning Point Action, praised Carlson as the most powerful and influential voice in all of media.

While Carlson’s actions have raised concerns about his contract with Fox News, Timothy Head, executive director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, expressed interest in partnering with Carlson for future events.

As the 2024 race unfolds, Carlson’s appearances could lead to more interviews with Republican candidates, assuming his contract doesn’t prevent it. The evolving landscape of conservative media, with competitors like Newsmax and OAN gaining more viewership, will likely consider Carlson’s actions in shaping their strategies.

“This is a very interesting phenomenon to watch, and I think frankly, a bunch of campaigns are watching this process pretty carefully,” Head said. “I think in the next year we’ll learn a lot about kind of news or information consumption for conservatives that we really haven’t seen in a number of years.”

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