Tom Cotton likens it to a faraway target at the shooting range. Tim Scott says any talk of it is premature. Ted Cruz allows that it’s in the back of his mind.
Whether Republican senators demur or not, the 2024 presidential primaries are not far off. And for those who want to position themselves in case Donald Trump shows vulnerability or takes a pass, the last few days of the midterms amount to the race’s starting gun.
As Trump finalizes his own midterm rally schedule, a half-dozen GOP senators have launched their own campaign expeditions that party insiders are sure to notice. That group includes Florida’s Rick Scott, Iowa’s Joni Ernst, as well as Scott of South Carolina, Cotton of Arkansas, Cruz of Texas and even Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
No one wants to get ahead of the former president, of course. But there’s a sense among Republicans that some senators may run even if Trump does — and many more will if the former president backs off.
So as the calendar turns to November, GOP politicians are leaping onto their best stage: hotly contested congressional campaigns.
“We’ve got to win the White House in ’24. And I think that is absolutely critical. But the first step is taking Congress back,” Cruz said in a phone interview from a stop in Tennessee amid his nationwide tour for GOP candidates. “Everybody who can help us win in 2022 should be doing everything humanly possible to make it happen.”
He added of the next two years: “It’s critical that we nominate and elect a strong conservative who can turn this country around. That’s what ’24 is going to be all about: Determining who that person is. And before we get there, we’ve gotta get through 2022.”
Senate Republicans already have competition in the midterms limelight beyond Trump’s own rallies. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis publicly endorsed Colorado GOP candidate Joe O’Dea after Trump attacked him, while former Vice President Mike Pence has campaigned for Arizona Republican candidate Blake Masters and New Hampshire Senate hopeful Don Bolduc.
Cruz is running a particularly high-profile operation this year, complete with a monthlong, 25-stop “Truth and Courage” bus trek aimed at electing as many conservatives as possible to both the House and Senate. He’s also directly appealing to donors to raise money for his preferred candidates — and he’s raised plenty of cash.
Then there’s Cotton who, according to an aide, has raised money for more than a half-dozen Senate candidates, advises several on their races and talks strategy with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Sen. Tom Cotton, according to an aide, has raised money for more than a half-dozen Senate candidates.
