Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) advocated for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to be the lead 2024 presidential candidate, arguing he has earned the right to be “at the head of the class.”
Cramer argued the Republican Party is “in desperate need of some new leadership” and that former President Donald Trump may struggle to achieve the GOP nomination depending on “who else is in the race,” he said during his appearance on NBC's Meet the Press.
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“Gov. DeSantis … has certainly earned the right to be at the head of the class … not just through his political rhetoric, but through his successful governing of a very large state,” Cramer said. “We’ve seen him around the stump a little more now doing the things that potential presidential candidates do.”
Beyond DeSantis, Cramer also said former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) would be “good” potential candidates for the 2024 election. Cramer said the selected candidates “understand the Trump doctrine but have a demeanor that’s probably more suitable to the swing voter.”
“At the end of the day, what is most important for primary voters to think about is not just who they love the most but who can win for the country and who can win for the party because we’re in desperate need of some new leadership,” he said.
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The only declared Republican candidates are Trump, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. DeSantis has yet to announce whether he will run in the election but is considered by many to be a strong contender should he choose to run.
The debate between whether DeSantis or Trump should be the GOP's 2024 candidate has persisted among Republicans, with Ken Cuccinelli, the former acting deputy secretary of homeland security under Trump, recently announcing the creation of a new political action committee aimed to push DeSantis to enter the primary field. Former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake (R), meanwhile, has asked DeSantis to hold off on running in the next presidential election, saying that 2024 is "President Trump's turn."