{"id":1948807,"date":"2023-06-16T02:18:02","date_gmt":"2023-06-16T06:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-not-every-republican-running-in-2024-has-sights-set-on-the-presidency\/"},"modified":"2023-06-16T02:18:02","modified_gmt":"2023-06-16T06:18:02","slug":"analysis-not-every-republican-running-in-2024-has-sights-set-on-the-presidency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-not-every-republican-running-in-2024-has-sights-set-on-the-presidency\/","title":{"rendered":"ANALYSIS: Not Every Republican Running in 2024 Has Sights Set on the Presidency"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fanalysis-not-every-republican-running-in-2024-has-sights-set-on-the-presidency%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1948807&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"post_content\">\n<p>As more and more candidates jump into the GOP 2024 pool, speculation has mounted about their motivations. Do all of them really believe they could be looking back at America from the Oval Office by January 2025\u2014or do some have a different destiny in mind?<\/p>\n<p>Multiple insiders have stressed to The Epoch Times that anyone who enters contention imagines themselves winning, even with the perceived incumbent, former President Donald J. Trump, already enjoying a commanding lead in many polls (though his chief rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/ron-desantis-war-chest-compares-donald-trump-1802428\">has outpaced Trump<\/a> in fundraising.)<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5311069\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/06\/04\/id5311069-Election_2024_Iowa_23154723267064-1200x800.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife, Casey, walk to the stage during the \u201cRoast and Ride\u201d event in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 3, 2023. (Charlie Neibergall\/AP Photo)<\/figure>\n<p>After all, politicians don\u2019t have small egos.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn his mind, and his consultants\u2019 minds, there\u2019s a pathway,\u201d Trump-aligned consultant Alex Bruesewitz told The Epoch Times regarding Sen. Tim Scott\u2019s (R-S.C.) 2024 candidacy in a May 25 interview.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, others from a wide range of political backgrounds who spoke with The Epoch Times voiced greater skepticism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf all of them legitimately believe they can win, at least a few of them are clearly delusional,\u201d said James Hartman, a Republican political consultant and self-described \u201cNever Trumper\u201d who has worked for Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) and other GOP politicians, in a June 15 interview with The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPolitics is about pole positioning, and the vast majority of Republican hopefuls clearly know they have no chance at winning the nomination, but they\u2019re without question positioning themselves for the number two slot,\u201d Charles Denyer, a cybersecurity expert and biographer of two Republican vice presidents, told The Epoch Times in a June 14 interview.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5037193\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/02\/06\/GettyImages-866761794-1200x799.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> President Donald Trump speaks with Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) after he delivered remarks on combatting drug demand and the opioid crisis in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Oct. 26, 2017. Christie is now a candidate in the 2024 Republican presidential contest. (Jim Watson\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWhile all the Republican candidates say they are in the race to get the presidential nomination, that\u2019s not the case,\u201d said William Bike, a journalist and author of \u201cWinning Political Campaigns: A Comprehensive Guide To Electoral Success,\u201d in an interview with The Epoch Times on June 12.<\/p>\n<p>But another insider, Democratic presidential campaign veteran Richard Gordon, was less inclined to dismiss the presidential ambitions of even the least among the GOP\u2019s 2024 seekers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo one \u2018technically\u2019 runs for vice president or a cabinet position, and all [GOP hopefuls] would say they aren\u2019t. Each of these candidates sees a pathway to victory, albeit narrow. Having said that, most of them would be beyond thrilled to accept the vice presidential nomination, and some, a cabinet position,\u201d said Gordon, who also serves on the Republican Governors Association\u2019s National Finance Committee, in a June 14 interview with The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<h2>Reality Check<\/h2>\n<p>The experts who spoke with The Epoch Times agreed that many Republicans in the 2024 race are putting themselves in a position to be tapped by the eventual nominee.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA strong showing in any number of early primaries allows the eventual nominee to take note of another candidate\u2019s viability and their ability to help win the general election in November. With little money and marginal name recognition, the likes of Tim Scott, Asa Hutchinson, Nikki Haley\u2014and others\u2014are jockeying for that hopeful phone call to be selected as the nominee\u2019s running mate, or possibly a cabinet position,\u201d Denyer said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5063946\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/02\/16\/Nikki-Haley-GettyImages-1466453339-1200x800.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley arrives on stage at her first campaign event in Charleston, S.C., on Feb. 15, 2023. (Win McNamee\/Getty Images)<\/figure>\n<p>In the case of Scott and Hutchinson, the early primary in their home state of South Carolina could be the critical test.<\/p>\n<p>Their names frequently recurred as plausible picks for vice president, as is often the case in conversations about the 2024 race. Other names\u2014for instance, that of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie\u2014did not.<\/p>\n<p>But why?<\/p>\n<p>One reason may be their reputation for hawkishness\u2014a tendency that isn\u2019t uncommon in the state that produced Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). High-level Republicans, eager to put the Trump years behind them, may yearn for a return to the foreign policy stances of the McCain or Bush families.<\/p>\n<p>Gordon suggested that at least some contenders \u201cmay be thinking ahead to a post-Trump Republican party and want to carve a place for themselves in it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Scott, Haley, or some other hopefuls, 2028 might mean a lot more than 2024, particularly if conflict with Russia, China, or both has whetted Americans\u2019 appetite for more vigor (or, to some, aggression) internationally.<\/p>\n<p>Another obvious, if uncomfortable, explanation, at least for those conservatives who would prefer to think of themselves as colorblind, is demographics.<\/p>\n<p>The United States is on pace to become majority-minority within decades. The process is already complete in states such as California, now more Latino than white\u2014and the flow of illegal immigrants across the United States\u2019 southern border has accelerated the trend, one in keeping with migrant-driven demographic changes happening across western Europe, Canada, and other countries.<\/p>\n<p>In recent memory, most non-white ethnic groups in the United States have leaned heavily toward Democrats, though <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/latino-voters-leaning-republican-in-californias-key-congressional-districts_5140229.html\">that could be changing<\/a> in some places.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, and at least in the eyes of some, the Republican Party must run non-white candidates to attract non-white voters.<\/p>\n<p>Haley, who is of Indian descent, and Scott, who is African American, check the right demographic boxes for a party that is at other times willing to criticize \u201cDiversity, Equity, and Inclusion\u201d (DEI) initiatives.<\/p>\n<p>Those boxes would also be checked by Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, now suddenly a part of the 2024 conversation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think Mayor Suarez could have an interesting impact on primary voter behavior\u2014if he makes it that long\u2014especially in Florida and, nationally, among Latino voters,\u201d Hartman told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<p>Some Trump loyalists see Suarez and others as part of an establishment strategy to divide and conquer the former president\u2019s fans.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReal story: Never-[Trump] cartel is invisible hand here. They back this puppet hoping he can drain off Trump\u2019s massive Cuban\/Latino support in Florida. Puppet Pence carving Christians. Scott stopping Trump momentum in early primary SC [South Carolina]. On and on,\u201d Trump administration veteran Peter Navarro <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RealPNavarro\/status\/1669473951100157957\">wrote<\/a> on Twitter.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4712966\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/09\/06\/GettyImages-1215227588-1200x849.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Peter Navarro, who was then-White House Trade and Manufacturing Policy Director, speaks during a briefing on the coronavirus pandemic in the press briefing room of the White House in Washington on March 27, 2020. (Drew Angerer\/Getty Images)<\/figure>\n<h2>Race and Gender<\/h2>\n<p>There may also be pressure to put a woman somewhere on the ticket.<\/p>\n<p>Citing anonymous sources \u201cclose to Trump,\u201d an Axios report from March of this year <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/kari-lake-responds-to-claim-she-could-be-trumps-2024-vice-president_5106054.html\">claimed<\/a> the former president\u2019s vice presidential short-list was made up of four women: Haley, former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.<\/p>\n<p>Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung denied the assertions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnyone who thinks they know what President Trump is going to do is seriously misinformed and trying to curry favor with \u2018potential\u2019 V.P. candidates,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Bike told The Epoch Times that demographic considerations are guiding political calculations in both major parties. He pointed out that Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, both ran alongside black female lieutenant governor candidates\u2014Julia Stratton and Winsome Sears, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>He also noted President Joe Biden\u2019s selection of Kamala Harris as running mate.<\/p>\n<p>Biden had previously pledged to select a woman for his vice presidential slot. He likewise vowed to nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court, ultimately choosing current Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace Stephen Breyer.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4392546\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/04\/08\/biden-with-jackson-and-harris-1200x787.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> U.S. President Joe Biden walks out of the South Portico with Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and Vice President Kamala Harris as they arrive for a celebration of Judge Jackson\u2019s confirmation to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court at the White House in Washington on April 8, 2022. (Kevin Lamarque\/Reuters)<\/figure>\n<p>From some angles, the future of American politics looks more and more racialized.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think Trump-Pence was the last all-white male ticket we\u2019re going to see for a while, and maybe ever,\u201d Bike said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think with both parties, we will see a white male candidate for president, and a woman or minority or both for vice president\u2014not only in 2024, but from now on,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTim Scott and Nikki Haley know they could win South Carolina, but they\u2019re also savvy enough to know that they aren\u2019t going to get the nomination, and they\u2019re running for vice president,\u201d Bike continued.<\/p>\n<p>Never Trumper Hartman was more optimistic about the odds for the pair of Palmetto State competitors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI suspect he [Scott] will do rather well at first and might certainly be a good VP pick if he doesn\u2019t finish on top\u2014unless, of course, Ambassador Haley prevails, in which case she\u2019d be ill-advised to choose a running mate from the same state,\u201d Hartman said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5282899\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/05\/22\/id5282899-scott-1200x800.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) announces his run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination at a campaign event in North Charleston, S.C., on May 22, 2023. (Allison Joyce\/Getty Images)<\/figure>\n<h2>Who\u2019s Serious?<\/h2>\n<p>Rightly or wrongly, some candidates are taken more seriously than others.<\/p>\n<p>Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, for example, was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/06\/06\/us\/politics\/chris-christie-donald-trump-2024.html\">dubbed<\/a> a \u2018kamikaze candidate\u2019 by former Trump press secretary Sean Spicer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor those people who don\u2019t like Trump because of the mean tweets, are they going to like the guy who is mean about Donald Trump?\u201d Spicer said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2271138\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2017\/07\/21\/GettyImages-816375396-e1500657538634.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> White House <\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As more and more candidates jump into the GOP 2024 pool, speculation has mounted about their motivations. Do all of them really believe they could be looking back at America from the Oval Office by January 2025\u2014or do some have a different destiny in mind? Multiple insiders have stressed to The Epoch Times that anyone<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":152,"featured_media":2181684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/05\/26\/id5294260-GettyImages-918284738-870x522.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1948807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/05\/26\/id5294260-GettyImages-918284738-870x522.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1948807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/152"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1948807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1948807\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2181684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1948807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1948807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1948807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}