On Monday, American Bridge, a progressive political group, presented a list of nearly two dozen potential Republican presidential candidates it plans to track and target as the 2024 race begins in earnest after the November midterms.
According to the Daily Mail, American Bridge has hired a new presidential research director, Julie Alderman Boudreau, and a “team of more than a dozen researchers in preparation for the 2024 presidential race.” Boudreau is noted for her advocacy research for the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
American Bridge 21st Century, which The Hill refers to as “a liberal super PAC,” has noted that though no one has formally announced their candidacy, former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden have indicated their participation in the 2024 race is likely.
“We’ve acknowledged Trump as a candidate,” Boudreau said. “And I think it’d be foolish to say he’s not the frontrunner, but at the same time there’s going to be a contest. We might as well get ready.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is also a top-tier candidate. The Hill noted a recent ABC News-Ipsos poll that “found 72 percent of registered Republicans believe that DeSantis should have a great or good deal of influence in the future direction of the GOP, while 64 percent of respondents said the same of Trump.”
American Bridge has targeted 21 Republicans it views as the likeliest GOP presidential contenders. Their list includes former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the following:
- Sen. Ted Cruz (TX)
- Former Vice President Mike Pence
- Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
- Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley
- Sen. Marco Rubio (FL)
- Sen. Rick Scott (FL)
- Sen. Tim Scott (SC)
- Sen. Tom Cotton (AR)
- Sen. Josh Hawley (MO)
- Sen. Mitt Romney (UT)
Less likely candidates who made America Bridge’s list include:
- South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem
- Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin
- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott
- New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu
- Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey
- Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson
- Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan
America Bridge’s list also includes a few sleeper candidates, such as”
- Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
- Rep. Liz Cheney (WY)
Boudreau noted: “The 2024 GOP primary field promises to be the most extreme, messy and radical in US history — and American Bridge is already working to hold, what could be a crowded and highly competitive field, accountable long before they have even announced their campaigns.”
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
