Dem
51
GOP
49
It's still so long until the 2024 presidential election, we feel a little silly writing about relatively unsubstantial scuttlebutt like this. Still, we think there's some meaningful subtext here. So, we will pass along that quite a few Republican senators are talking a big game about the possibility of Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) running for president.
Note that Scott himself is not saying much one way or another, which means he's certainly thinking about a run. And now, let's talk about the subtext. The most obvious point here is that the senators really, really don't want Donald Trump to be their presidential candidate again. Almost as obvious is that they are not enthused about Ron DeSantis. Maybe that's because he's not one of their own, or maybe it's because they think he's ultimately a poor candidate, or maybe both. The Scott fans are similarly not excited about other members of their ranks, including Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Rick Scott (R-FL), Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Marco Rubio (R-FL). The former three have already said they're not planning to run in 2024, and the latter two will either wake up and smell the coffee or else will get trounced in the primaries (again).
Of course, the support for Scott also reflects the ongoing Republican delusion that if they just nominate a candidate of color, minority voters will flock to the GOP banner in droves. This is not going to happen; that sort of identity politics does not really operate at the presidential level. Or maybe it does. Is it conceivable that some Republicans, especially in swingish states in the South like North Carolina and Georgia simple won't vote for a Black person? Been there, done that, didn't like the result. Beyond that, having the "right" type of candidate does not make up for having the wrong type of platform.
The real lesson here is this: Although the Republicans have many officeholders who look in the mirror and see a future president, the bench is actually kind of thin, because most of them appear to be unelectable. Even if the GOP manages to jettison Trump, who sure looks likes a loser, it is not going to be easy to find a candidate who won't be an underdog to Joe Biden or one of a dozen other Democrats. That's why the people who run the Republican Party are already desperately casting about for someone. (Z)