Even before his re-election campaign, political insiders have speculated on who is going to succeed President Donald Trump as the head of the Republican Party in 2024.
But the name at the top of the list might not be Vice President Mike Pence.
It may not be former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Rumors are swirling that Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., is being groomed to carry the Trump banner into the future
Once the youngest member of the Senate, media pundits see Cotton as both an extension of Trump’s brutal honesty, but also a GOP stable horse who has forged relationships with establishment Republicans.
In other words, Trump… but with less tweets.
Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon said of Cotton in 2017:
“Cotton was the one most supportive of us, up front and behind the scenes, from the beginning. He understands that the Washington elite — this permanent political class of both parties, between the K Street consultants and politicians — needs to be shattered.”
But on the same token he’s capable of “capable of building bridges within the Party. He wants to get things done,” according to well-known GOP strategist Karl Rove.
But is Cotton too comfortable as a D.C. insider? That’s up for voters to decide.
And if one day he is elected, it could be a statement about just how influential Trump’s politics have been.
Observers have noted throughout hiss presidency, Trump has set a new standard for conservative hardliners in Washington D.C.
And not only is Cotton known around Capitol Hill, but nationwide. According to reports, Cotton has “quintupled” his fundraising dollars since his NYT op-ed, “Send In the Troops” and a recent appearance on Fox News appearance, where he lambasted the “woke child mob.”
Starting to sound like Trump already?
The Horn editorial team