Strategists say competitive GOP primary likely
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Strategists for both major parties on Wednesday said a Donald Trump primary win in 2024 is quite possible but far from certain.
Hamilton County Republican Party Chair Mario Massillamany said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President and former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence are almost certain to launch presidential campaigns of their own. He said Nikki Haley, Trump’s former United Nations ambassador, and Sen. Rick Scott also would be competitive. Massillamany said Pence’s newly-announced book tour and cross-country stumping for GOP candidates could aid a potential campaign, while DeSantis already has credibility with the GOP base due in part to his hands-off approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. He said DeSantis was once able to raise $500,000 from a one-day visit to Indiana.
Massillamany said Trump brings to the table popularity with the base and a track record in national elections. Perhaps most importantly, he said Trump is still without equal when it comes to letting voters know where he stands.
“He’s able to articulate a message in sound bites,” he said. “And a lot of our candidates, both Republican and Democrat, take too long to explain on TV or to be able to articulate a message. He’s able to do that in sound bites.”
Democratic strategist Lara Beck called Trump’s Tuesday night speech “incredibly lackluster” and said the 2022 midterm results, where Trump-backed candidates fared poorly, show people have had enough of election denial claims. She said Democrats consider Trump the weakest and most vulnerable of the 2024 Republican field. Beck said Democrats’ relative success in the midterms buys President Joe Biden more time to make up for his low approval ratings and helps head off concerns about his age. Still, Beck said Democrats will have to do more than run against Trump.
“We have to tell what we’re for. We can’t just be against everything Donald Trump is perpetuating,” she said. “We have to have really have a compelling narrative of what we’re for, how we’re helping families, how we’re rebuilding infrastructure.”
At least one potential challenger to Trump has already signaled they have not yet focused on 2024. DeSantis told reporters on Wednesday, “People just need to chill out a little bit on some of this stuff.”
Barring a change in state law, Indiana’s 2024 presidential primary will be held on May 7 of that year.