Sen. Josh Hawley Prepares For 2024 Campaign Against Biden After Trying To Overturn 2020 Election

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) is the only senator who has opposed every one of President Joe Biden‘s Cabinet nominees, including Transportation Secretary nominee Pete Buttigieg. Hawley was the first senator to declare he would vote against the Electoral College results falling in favor of Biden. Despite the huge backlash to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, Hawley claims that his role is to act as a “loyal opposition” to Biden’s presidency.

Hawley’s Senate seat will be up for election in 2024, and many are questioning what this young politician’s next move will be. On Wednesday, Hawley dismissed rumors of a potential presidential bid: “All I can say is no.” Nonetheless, some believe that Hawley’s opposition to Biden’s nominees proves otherwise.

Republican strategist Scott Reed seems to believe that a presidential run is especially likely in Hawley’s case. “Hawley’s always been a young man in a hurry,” Reed told Politico. “He ran for attorney general on a plank he would serve all four years and [almost] immediately ran for U.S. Senate once he got in office. He’s clearly laying groundwork for running for president in 2024. There’s no way else to explain this behavior.”

If Hawley makes the decision to run, it would most likely come with controversy. On January 6, Hawley was photographed raising his fist in support of protesters who stormed the Capitol. Hawley has called Trump’s impeachment trial “unconstitutional.” The senator’s decision to object to the Electoral College vote led to a Senate ethics complaint, as well as Simon & Schuster canceling his book deal.

While Hawley’s controversies have certainly gotten him noticed, by Republicans and Democrats alike, the attention is a double-edged sword.

Hawley claims that all of his actions are merely reflections of his constituents’ concerns and that he is not opposing Biden in an effort to overturn the presidential election results. “In Missouri, people are kind of shell shocked: ‘What in the world?’ He’s being so aggressive, they are not even attempting to work across the aisle,” he said. “If it’s not good for my state, then yeah, I certainly will [vote in opposition to Biden].”

Article by Elizabeth Letsou