In 2024, Who Would be the GOP's Equivalent of Mayor Pete?

[libertpaulian]

This year, we've seen a gay, Millennial, mayor of a barely-six figures-populated Midwestern city defy expectations in the polls.  He's leading the pack in Iowa and New Hampshire, and starting to make himself known in Nevada and South Carolina.  He's also starting to nibble at Bernie's heels for third place in national polling.  How far he gets is anyone's guess.  In any normal election, he'd be lucky to poll 2-3% nationally and get fifth place in Iowa.  One year ago, I didn't expect him to run.  I knew about him and that he'd run for a bigger office one day.  I thought if he was going to go for something bigger than South Bend in 2020, he'd make a run for IN-GOV or IN-02.  I'm impressed so far, though.

Now, let's turn over to the GOP.

Whatever Trump's fate may be next November, the GOP race is wide open 4 years from now.  We'll probably see familiar faces, like VP Pence, Gov. DeSantis, former Gov. Haley, Sen. Hawley, et al., make a go for it.  However, as we learned in 2015, the most unexpected person can break out.  

Who in the GOP right now do you think could be the equivalent of Mayor Pete?  His/her sexual orientation, gender, marital status, etc. does not matter.  All that matters is that they're in a governmental position that normally would not be a springboard for President.  

NOTE: Statewide offices, such as AG, Treasurer, etc. are not preferable, but I won't care if you share them.

One example off the top of my head is Nick Freitas, state legislator from Virginia.  Someone who comes from the Paulist/Amash wing of the GOP who tries to espose a conservatarian political philosophy without trying to piss off the Trumpster s too much.

[Vosem]

Freitas isn't interesting enough, I think. Mayor Pete took off because he was the only credible gay candidate and because he can pass extremely convincingly for someone at the ideological edge of the party without actually being anywhere close to it. (The GOP actually has candidates who are similar to Mayor Pete all the time in a certain sense; Herman Cain or Ben Carson come to mind. But you want a minor officeholder).

One name rises unbidden to the top of my mind immediately as to a GOP equivalent, someone who is also interesting demographically, has gotten a strange amount of press for holding a very minor office, and who can code as both very Trumpist and very establishment, so I think my submission to this thread has to be: Richard Grenell.

[libertpaulian]

Freitas isn't interesting enough, I think. Mayor Pete took off because he was the only credible gay candidate and because he can pass extremely convincingly for someone at the ideological edge of the party without actually being anywhere close to it. (The GOP actually has candidates who are similar to Mayor Pete all the time in a certain sense; Herman Cain or Ben Carson come to mind. But you want a minor officeholder).

One name rises unbidden to the top of my mind immediately as to a GOP equivalent, someone who is also interesting demographically, has gotten a strange amount of press for holding a very minor office, and who can code as both very Trumpist and very establishment, so I think my submission to this thread has to be: Richard Grenell.

He's serving in a federal capacity, though.  He could at least make some sort of credible case that he has foreign policy experience.  Selecting a VP with domestic policy experience would make the ticket pretty generic.

Oh, and like I said in the OP, the person doesn't have to be LGBT.  Just a minor officeholder with political views and a dash of street smarts that can earn them political star power.

[onejayhawk]

In 2016 it was Ted Cruz. That said, comparing Buttigieg to Cruz does not compute.

J

[Kingpoleon]

If she wins elected office again, maybe Heather Wilson. A moderate~ish Rhodes Scholar with foreign policy experience. Grenell or Huntsman would also be good candidates, IMO.

[Grassroots]

We don’t know yet. Remember, Pete came up out of nowhere. There is an 80% chance this person hasn’t been elected to a political office yet. We still have 2020 and 2022 to see new potential contenders show up, and we might get a lot of them given how many 2018 gave us.

[darklordoftech]

In 2016 it was Ted Cruz.

I thought it was Rubio.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Rand Paul, who would be from KY, which is a small state like IN

[Grassroots]

In 2016 it was Ted Cruz.

I thought it was Rubio.

It was none.

[Vosem]

In 2016 it was Ted Cruz.

I thought it was Rubio.

It was none.

Yeah, Republicans are somewhat more used than Democrats to having unqualified candidates (like Trump or Carson; this time around Yang fits), who have simply never held any office that qualifies them for the Presidency. The interesting thing about Buttigieg is that he's underqualified -- he holds a position that would normally be seen as qualifying for the House, perhaps the Senate, but certainly not the Presidency.

I think the last person like this to run a credible major-party primary campaign was Alan Keyes in 2000.

[Dr. MB]

In 2016 it was Ted Cruz.

I thought it was Rubio.

It was none.

Let's dispel once and for all with this fiction that Donald Trump doesn't know what he's doing. He knows exactly what he's doing.

[LabourJersey]

If by "Mayor Pete-type" you mean someone who doesn't have a lot of conventional political experience but has a good lifestory/background that engages voters, than I'd go with Dan Crenshaw.

Three terms in the House is pretty minimal experience-wise, but a lot of GOP primary voters won't care given his veteran background and the positive media coverage he's been gifted.

[Grassroots]

If by "Mayor Pete-type" you mean someone who doesn't have a lot of conventional political experience but has a good lifestory/background that engages voters, than I'd go with Dan Crenshaw.

Three terms in the House is pretty minimal experience-wise, but a lot of GOP primary voters won't care given his veteran background and the positive media coverage he's been gifted.

From an insider perspective, I don't think republicans are as open to Crenshaw as you think. His outsourcing and overall "globalist" economic positions are fighting against the current of republican politics.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

If Biden loses in 2020,  I can see a Rand Paul v Gavin Newsom GE in 2024; consequently,  Cruz and Rubio if they run in 2024 may cancel each other out