2024 Republican Primary: Trump vs Cruz redux

[Medal506]

It’s 2023, Cruz announces in January 2023 that he is running for president again, being the first candidate in the race. Trump announces in February he too will be seeking the Republican nomination for president. Trump publicly offers Cruz a VP slot if he drops out of the race but Cruz refuses which sparks Trump v Cruz 2.0.

Cruz goes on to win Iowa and Trump goes on to win New Hampshire.

Where does the race go from here?

[LAKISYLVANIA]

[President Johnson]

Trump would sweep all contests. Cruz won't win Iowa again in this scenario.

[If my soul was made of stone]

The insider party establishment types would coalesce behind Cruz for being relatively inoffensive and more in line with their ideals, but the Trump base wouldn't be enthused by his very mainstream-conservative economic views and lack of charisma. I think Trump would come out on top again, and quite convincingly, probably restricting Cruz's primary victories to more urbanized parts of the Sun Belt.

[Ferguson97]

Trump wins any H2H contest in the primary.

[Chips]

Trump wins.

[Nightcore Nationalist]

This forum underrates Ted Cruz's unpopularity

[Galeel]

This forum underrates Ted Cruz's unpopularity

It doesn't matter how strong or popular they are, any Republican is losing to Trump in a GOP primary

[Coldstream]

I actually think Cruz could do it. I don’t see Trump having the staying power.

But the most important point is he’d lose a general election, and Republicans know this. Even if they think it’s rigged, they fundamentally want to stop the “woke, BLM, trans socialists” etc and I still think enough of them will see that Trump makes that less likely.

[President Johnson]

Trump sweeps all primaries. But I don't think Cruz would run in the first place if Trump did given how much he sold out to the God Emperor.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I actually think Cruz could do it. I don’t see Trump having the staying power.

But the most important point is he’d lose a general election, and Republicans know this. Even if they think it’s rigged, they fundamentally want to stop the “woke, BLM, trans socialists” etc and I still think enough of them will see that Trump makes that less likely.

I think Cruz could pull it off too.
It pretty much depends on how Trump is viewed. If he is seen as a loser, then Cruz has a good chance of even becoming favored. Republicans don't like to nominate losers (at least, those they perceive as such).

[Catalyst138]

Trump would win, but he wouldn’t sweep every state. Cruz would win a handful like Bernie did.

[AGA]

Cruz would drop out after losing badly to Trump in the first few contests, like any Republican.

[DaleCooper]

I think if 78 year-old Trump tries to run again in 2024, he'd be most vulnerable to an exciting new face who is a rising star in the Republican Party. I don't know exactly how to articulate this, but I feel like most or all of the Republicans that were prominent during the Trump era have destroyed their credibility and probably their presidential ambitions along with it.

[Bickle]

If Trump runs in 2024, he easily wins the GOP nomination, even quicker than 2016.

[Bickle]

I actually think Cruz could do it. I don’t see Trump having the staying power.

But the most important point is he’d lose a general election, and Republicans know this. Even if they think it’s rigged, they fundamentally want to stop the “woke, BLM, trans socialists” etc and I still think enough of them will see that Trump makes that less likely.

lol, Cruz would have performed worse than Trump.  You think that Cruz receives 74.2 million votes?  Not a chance.