My crystal ball is foggy. Who would be the GOP nominee If Trump dropped.

[drray23]

dead or in jail or whatever. The rest of the field is not very charismatic.

I can't see Pence motivating the troops. De Santis is quickly getting irrelevant because his woke stance is starting to backfire and he is a dunce when it comes to public apparences.

Nikki Haley is a light weight and I question whether the deeply misogynistic, xenophobic gop electorate would vote for her, ditto for senator Scott.

Christie maybe could but he would never get enough Maga votes.

[bmbmd]

1. That's the problem.

They've got nobody. Maybe Christie, but he'll get annihilated.

[Claustrum]

15. No one likes Christie though.

Republicans don't like him. Democrats don't like him. Independents don't like him. He literally has no core base.

[radius777]

2. De Santis, because he is the natural heir to the MAGA base

that controls the RW echo chamber and the GOP primaries. The others IMO stand no chance.

[PortTack]

26. Tfg be he in or as this OPED is saying out will tell his cult not to vote for ronnie white boots and

They won’t.

Another factor, the president of Mexico recently came out telling all FL Hispanics “not one single vote for desthsatan.”

[bluestarone]

3. My guess Pence or Tim Scott

[Tetrachloride]

4. Lets not help them out deciding

[tulipsandroses]

5. Glen Youngkin

He will get recruited. The big donors will want someone they think can win. You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube. I don’t see independents and “normal” republicans voting for Desantis. Youngkin can still appeal to MAGATS and “normal republicans “

[drray23]

6. that's a good point. He is my governor unfortunately.

He did manage to do this balancing act to get elected. He did not fully go Maga and appeared more moderate. That got it the governorship. As soon as he got it, he started pushing Maga policies. Luckily we democrats control half of the Virgina assembly ( we have the senate , they have the house) so most of his initiatives fizzled.

[Claustrum]

14. Youngkin would probably be the uniting force.

He is bad enough with the CRT stuff to appeal to the MAGA cultists while not as bad as DeSantis on the culture war crazy to scare away "normal" republicans and independents.

[DET]

17. Sadly, This

Youngkin is an opportunistic hypocrite, but he can look and sound presidential when he wants to. I don’t know what qualifies the CEO of the Carlyle Group to be president, but a series of unfortunate events was enough to convince Virginia Republicans that he could protect their delicate sensibilities from ‘the libruls’ right before the election. Once elected, Youngkin pretty much went full MAGA - just much more low key than usual. This man will be whatever his donors and the right wing want him to be at any given time, which makes him dangerous.

[PortTack]

28. Unfortunately I think youngkin will wait until '28. He will be harder to beat then I'm afraid

But..that’s a time traveler’s galaxy away in political time

[keithbvadu2]

7. How could Pence possibly think the MAGAs would support him?

How could Pence possibly think the MAGAs would support him?

They wanted to execute him.

A mob has no logic or conscience.

They would have.

And Trump would have let them (without making it obvious).

[sarcasmo]

8. The king of Magadonia will not drop out. Prison Trump will beat all the other GOP candidates.

[PortTack]

29. ☝️☝️☝️☝️

[Chainfire]

9. Trump would not bow out if he was ascending the stairway to the gallows.

If he doesn't win back the Presidency he is doomed.

[Mr.Bill]

10. Even if found guilty Trump will not exhaust all his delay and appeal tactics

until well after election day. And maybe it's best that way. I actually think him sitting in prison has a better shot at winning than if he were not in prison. Once he loses the election (or doesn't get the nomination) and goes to prison, he will be done. I also think he may die of natural causes long before he sees jail.

[PortTack]

27. Agree. His first trial date is not until March of next year. The other criminal indictment trials

Will be way past election just for starters…you’re right on both counts..cause then come the appeals.

[Claustrum]

11. My guess is whoever that can capture the MAGA cult.

My guess would be DeSantis because they love the culture war stuff.

[Johonny]

12. Hunter Biden's laptop

[WarGamer]

13. DeSantis.

But make no mistake.

Trump will win the nomination.

I don't see ANY of the others breaking 10%

[Gidney N Cloyd]

16. Traditionally with the GOP in these situations, it's "whoever's next in line."

"These situations" being largely long shots or lost causes.
So who's the current Dole, McCain, Romney?

[carpetbagger]

18. A bland white guy flying low.

DeSantis and Pence will burn under the crashing Trump blimp (oh the humanity), and the MAGA voters will scurry for someone who wasn't on his kill list. Haley and Scott will eat each other in a quest for the hundred or so SC GOP primary voters who will vote for someone other than a white guy, Scott and Elder will also compete to be Lindsey Graham's Black friend.

So I think the nominee will emerge suddenly on Super Tuesday out of a crowded field. So it'll be a Southerner, a guy who doesn't get in the MAGA crossfire, someone with name recognition, and connections/experience in national GOP politics, probably a governor who can play alpha male.

I don't think Asa Hutchinson will be the nominee, but his odds are far, far higher than whatever the gambling sites are giving him.

on edit... I feel like I need to add that I don't think a candidate will be recruited into the field, there will be 10 days between SC and Super Tuesday. The nominee will have his [specifically his] hat in the ring when the two Florida Men are still blocking all sunlight from reaching the floor.

[RandySF]

19. DeSpot

[Bev54]

20. Kemp

[diva77]

24. +1 He knows how to manipulate things to win an election

from purging voters from the rolls to a bevy of outrageous voter suppression laws, to being in with the private voting machine corporations. He also knows how to do the rugged guy routine. He's got the bases covered.

[marble falls]

21. Romney/Pence ...

... They'd pull a Bob Doyle and take a loooooong shot for the Party as Joe Biden gets a Democratic Senate and House.

[SCantiGOP]

22. I just know I would feel better

If Trump were out of the picture.

[newdayneeded]

23. Liz Cheney

She wouldn't need the Magat vote. she would run a campaign basically saying I want all of the normal repub voters, screw the minority magats.

[Xolodno]

25. Easy...

...the electoral Loser of 2024.