24 For 2024

I love lists of people who might run for president. Today conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, writing at the Washington Post, gives us a list of everyone who has been mentioned to him as a potential Republican candidate for president in 2024. There are 21 names on his list:    

1. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott 
2. Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton 
3. Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw 
4. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz 
5. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
6. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey
7. Former ambassador to Germany and former acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell 
8. Former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley 
9. Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley
10. White House chief of staff and former North Carolina representative Mark Meadows 
11. South Dakota Gov. Kristi L. Noem
12. National security adviser Robert C. O’Brien 
13. Vice President Pence
14. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
15. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio 
16. Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse 
17. Florida Sen. Rick Scott
18. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott 
19. Pennsylvania Sen. Patrick J. Toomey
20. Donald Trump Jr. 
21. Ivanka Trump

In July, I published my first "Who will run in 2024?" post, with a list of seven names (read it here,) four of which are on the list above (Cotton, Haley, Pence and Pompeo,) plus Representative Liz Cheney, Maryland governor Larry Hogan and Mitt Romney. 

Yes, the 2024 race is already underway, or at least what's called the "silent" or "hidden" primary part is already happening. So, drum roll please, here's the combined list of potential 2024 candidates: 

1. Governor Greg Abbott, Texas
2. Rep. Liz Cheney, Wyoming 
3. Senator Tom Cotton, Arkansas 
4. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, Texas 
5. Senator Ted Cruz, Texas 
6. Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida
7. Governor Doug Ducey, Arizona
8. Richard Grennell, former ambassador to Germany and former acting director of national intelligence
9. Nikki Haley, former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina governor 
10. Senator Josh Hawley, Missouri
11. Governor Larry Hogan, Maryland 
12. Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff and former North Carolina representative 
13. Governor Kristi L. Noem, South Dakota
14. Robert C. O’Brien, national security advisor 
15. Vice President Mike Pence
16. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
17. Senator Mitt Romney, Utah, 2012 Republican nominee for president
18. Senator Marco Rubio, Florida 
19. Senator Ben Sasse, Nebraska 
20. Senator Rick Scott, Florida
21. Senator Tim Scott. South Carolina 
22. Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Pennsylvania
23. Donald Trump Jr. 
24. Ivanka Trump

As I did for the 2016 election, I'll add names to this list as various other politicians start to look like (or declare themselves to be) candidates. For now, I'll ask my usual question. Will anyone on this list be standing on the steps of the Capitol building on January 20, 2025, getting ready to take the oath? Stay tuned. 

And one more thing. Hewitt says that if Donald loses in 16 days he might come back and run again in 2024:

Of course, should President Trump lose to former vice president Joe Biden, he could — and almost certainly would at least — consider a return to the ring in 2024. That would shorten the list by taking the other Trumps off it, but this is just a list of the already mentioned. (Read the entire article here.)

Just the thought of that makes my stomach turn but I would say it's unlikely. Donald appears to be deteriorating before our eyes at his current age of 74. He can barely form a coherent sentence, he's slurring his words and he frequently looks a little unsteady on his feet. I don't think we have to worry about him running in 2024.