Embedded inside a Republican National Convention dedicated to elevating President Trump is a preview of the looming battle to control the party’s post-Trump future, with potential 2024 contenders using prime speaking slots to advance their political ambitions.
Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley delivered a well-received keynote address Monday night. Tuesday features Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaking prerecorded from Jerusalem. And Wednesday will see Vice President Mike Pence formally accept renomination from Fort McHenry in Maryland.
Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton speaks Thursday, vouching for the president on national security. Meanwhile, in fresh additions to the White House conversation, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott dazzled GOP insiders Monday with an optimistic vision for the party and Trump based on his experience as a black man, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem takes the stage Wednesday.
“It’s the highest perch inside the party,” Republican operative Barry Bennett said. “Millions of activists are watching.”
Others capitalizing on the spotlight include Donald Trump Jr., mentioned as a future heir to the president’s political legacy, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who sought the Republican nomination four years ago, and Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a retired Navy SEAL and a rising GOP star.
Trump’s first term has been unusual in that several Republicans considering higher office have jockeyed for position early to lay the foundation for a White House bid, should they choose to run, rather than wait until the day after the president’s reelection campaign concludes, as is customary.
Haley launched a political group to influence the Republican Party’s legislative agenda after she left Trump’s cabinet. Pompeo has traveled domestically to states such as Iowa and Florida to talk foreign policy with grassroots Republican voters. Pence was intimately involved in bridging the gap between Trump and a previously skeptical GOP establishment. And Cotton has endorsed Republicans in competitive primaries in key states such as New Hampshire and Wisconsin.
In a hypothetical 2024 primary matchup, these Republicans — and others not speaking at this year’s GOP convention — offer a glimpse of the ideological clash that could dominate the party with Trump out of office or fading from the scene. Some will seek to channel the conservative populist, some might attempt to lead a revival of the more traditional, Reagan-era Republicanism, and some will surely attempt to rise on the strength of bridging that divide.
“With these speeches, I think we are watching a preview of the battle for the soul of the party,” Republican strategist Jim Dornan said.
Trump’s rise in 2016 divided the Republican establishment.
Several prominent Republicans declined to endorse Trump in his maiden campaign against 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and did not speak at the convention in Cleveland. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, runner-up to Trump in the 2016 primary, did address Republican delegates but memorably declined to endorse the future president during his speech, although he backed the nominee before Election Day. Cruz is not speaking at this year’s convention.
Many view Nov. 3 as a contest to determine the fate of the country and could penalize politicians they view as unwilling to fight for them in 2020. With that in mind, ambitious Republicans are earning more valuable chits speaking on Trump’s behalf than name identification, and as former GOP operative Bruce Haynes described it, it’s “a high-profile opportunity to frame your brand inside the party” — both are important.
“There’s no such thing as taking the cycle off,” said Josh Holmes, a Republican consultant who is close with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “That’s really important to the conservative activist base. I mean, really important.”
