Whether we like it or not, the 2024 presidential election is likely to be a rematch of the 2020 election between current President Joe Biden and former and potentially future President Donald Trump. Sure, there are concerns with Biden's cognitive abilities, but he's not facing a significant enough primary challenge, not yet at least. Trump still remains the frontunner for the Republican primary, with a lead that hovers around 40 points. Even if this is the rematch that voters ultimately decide on, there are those who remain hellbent on having a another option, perhaps through a third-party challenge. And it's an idea governors have been asked and even seem to be giving thought to.
Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) announced in July that he's not seeking another term. He's not running for president, either, though, as he had announced in June. Although he's made his criticisms of Trump quite clear, he's not challenging him in the primary.
During his Sunday appearance on NBC News' "Meet the Press," Sununu doubled down on his decision not to run, including when it comes to running under the No Labels party ticket.
When asked by host Chuck Todd if it was something he'd do, Sununu's answer was clear. "No, not that I'm looking at," he said. "So, there's no circumstance you would be a No Labels candidate if Donald Trump's on the ballot," Todd asked, just to be sure. The response was the same, as Sununu repeated almost word for word, "No. No, nothing I'm looking at."
The same cannot be said for former Gov. Larry Hogan (R-MD), who has also been critical of Trump. He was similarly asked about a run for president during his Sunday appearance on CBS News' "Face the Nation." To begin the segment, host Robert Costa reminded Hogan that he had said on that very program in March that he would not run for president, a decision which in part had to do with not wanting to run in a crowded field.
It was a smart move, given that a Cygnal poll from last December showed him with 1 percent support, as I covered in a January VIP piece examining why potential candidates like Hogan would even bother running.
When asked if the current field is too big, Hogan responded with an "oh absolutely," something he believes even more so now. "I believe it now more than I did back in March. And as you know, that's why I made the decision. I didn't want to see a repeat of 2016. I didn't want to see this multi-car pileup where the 50 percent of the Republican primary voters that don't want Donald Trump are divided among the 11 people," he shared.
"And that's exactly what I was afraid of, is what's happening. I think it's a real problem," Hogan continued, offering how his fears have come true. "And I think, you know, we now know that it's a problem. And I think we've got to start thinking about trying to show some leadership and taking some action to change that."
Just like Sununu had done, Hogan raised concerns, with the both of them mentioning polls showing that most Americans do not actually want a Biden-Trump rematch.
Although Hogan says he's "still, again, still trying to work to make sure we can get a good Republican nominee," he's not willing to rule out not running on that ticket. "It's not something I'm pursuing," Hogan told Costa, though upon being prompted further, said "I'm hoping we don't get to that point. I have not closed the door to that. If I believe that we can actually win the race."
“I have not closed the door to that,” former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) says about potentially being on a third-party ticket with the group No Labels in 2024. pic.twitter.com/jWbqZPBHP7
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) September 3, 2023
This was not the only option discussed. Costa and Hogan discussed potentially Govs. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) or Brian Kemp (R-GA) jumping in, though Hogan was not in support of such an idea. Where he did seem more open was with having candidates drop out.
"Look, I think there's too many people in the field, you should not be in the race. If you're- if you don't make the debate stage, you likely should consider getting out. If you're on the debate stage, and you're willing to stand up and challenge the leader that's at 50 percent, if you're unwilling to challenge Donald Trump, you should get off the stage," Hogan shared, going on to call out Vivek Ramaswamy by name," who currently is at third place in the polls with a RealClearPolitics (RCP) average of 7 percent.
"You know, Ramaswamy, for example, is up there being a cheerleader and a fill-in for Trump. He shouldn't be running for president, he should, you know, he obviously is trying to apply for a job for Trump. But if you're in there running for vice president, or you're trying to be a cabinet secretary, or you're trying to become famous, or write a book or get on television, you should get the heck out of the race. We need to narrow it down to find a leader who can get the Republican Party back on the right track. And that could get us back to winning elections. Again, it's not going to happen with 11 people in the race," Hogan continued, as he brought it back to narrowing the field.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), another anti-Trump Republican, has also called for more candidates to drop out, as he did in a column that The Wall Street Journal published in July.
When it comes to specific candidates, there's former Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX), for instance, as Costa mentioned, who did not make the debate stage. He has 0.3 percent support in the polls, according to RCP, and refuses to sign a pledge that he will support whoever the nominee is.
Hogan seems to have doubled down, as he retweeted and tweeted out coverage and clips from CBS News, but also tweeted out an article from The Hill about his remarks on there needing to be less candidates.
.@TheHill: Hogan says some GOP candidates should quit 2024 race: ‘There’s too many people in the field’ https://t.co/KLrTtjihTv
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) September 5, 2023
It's worth reminding that Hogan, who frequently goes on Sunday shows where hosts love to ask him about his Trump bashing, similarly raised questions during his appearance on CNN's "State of the Union" in early July.
Another name that's been mentioned is Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who is still deciding if he is going to run for reelection in 2024, or for president instead. He's also been floated as a potential candidate under the No Labels party ticket, with his name being briefly brought up during the "Face the Nation" segment. As Manchin told NBC News in June, however, "it'll be next year" before he decides on a presidential run.