They could be up for running as soon as November if Donald Trump doesn’t get a win…
Or?
They might have to wait till after January 20th, 2021…
President Trump faces more than nine months left in office before voters head to the polls to decide on his reelection, but the early dynamics of the race to succeed him are already on display.
Several prominent Republicans who have been floated as potential 2024 candidates took the stage at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Md., making appearances at the confab to boost Trump while keeping up their own profiles.
While the potential for a second Trump term looms large, Republicans have already started buzzing about who may run to replace him, such as Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
Speaking at the annual gathering is viewed as a key step for any potential GOP presidential hopeful, with Republicans this week presenting themselves to thousands of activists amid speculation over their political futures post-Trump.
“CPAC gives prospective candidates an opportunity to introduce themselves to the some of the most active and influential conservatives throughout the country,” Sean Spicer, the former White House communications director, told The Hill….
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A handful of other GOP figures who have been floated as potential 2024 candidates made appearances at CPAC this year, including Donald Trump Jr. and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.).
Trump Jr. and Hawley, two conservative firebrands who have emerged as favorites of the GOP base, appeared onstage together at a panel railing at social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter for allegedly suppressing conservative accounts.
Several politicians who have later gone on to launch White House bids have been featured at CPAC, given its platform in front of thousands of faithful grassroots activists.
The CPAC tradition of fueling presidential bids goes back to former President Reagan. Reagan, then the governor of California, made an appearance at the conference in 1974 — six years before he became president….
image…Politico
This ain’t going away….
…When asked whether Trump should speak at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, McCarthy — who served as one of Trump’s move vocal allies in Congress during the course of his administration — quickly asserted he believes that yes, Trump “should” be present at the annual GOP event slated to take place in Orlando, Fla., this weekend. It will be Trump’s first public political speech since leaving office.
But Cheney — one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for inciting the deadly insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6 — then noted she has been vocal in her position that she doesn’t believe Trumpism should be embraced as the future of the GOP.
“That’s up to CPAC,” she said. “I’ve been clear about my views about President Trump and the extent to which, following Jan. 6, I don’t think he should be playing a role in the future of party.”…
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Trump trying to stay in the spotlight …
Former President Trump will use his Sunday speech at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) to attack his successor President Biden and tease a potential 2024 White House bid, a person familiar with speech confirmed to The Hill on Wednesday.
The speech will mark Trump’s first major appearance on the political stage since leaving Washington on Jan. 20. He’s kept a relatively low profile at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida since then, breaking his silence only occasionally during and after his impeachment trial in the Senate.
But when he takes the stage at CPAC on Sunday, the former president is poised to deliver a scathing rebuke of Biden’s first five weeks in the White House, criticizing his successor’s handling of immigration policy and his posture toward China, among other things. …
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Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo), who seemed to have become something of a pariah in the Senate since his Electoral College objections on Jan. 6 and his fist-pumping show of encouragement to a pro-Trump crowd outside the Capitol earlier that day, received a boisterous ovation at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Friday….
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