Republican Senator: GOP 'desperate' for 'new leadership' and 'humble victory'

12 March 2023

United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-Indiana) said on Sunday's edition of Meet the Press that the Republican Party's primary voters need to consider candidates for the 2024 GOP nomination besides former President Donald Trump.

"Let me turn to a couple political issues. Um, do you think the former president – you were an early supporter of the former president, you haven't endorsed him yet for 2024, you've said you'd like to see somebody like him and you haven't ruled out endorsing him – but if he is indicted, regardless of whether it's Manhattan or Atlanta or in Washington, you think it's healthy for the party if he keeps running, or do you think he should step aside?" asked NBC moderator Chuck Todd.

Cramer explained that there are other, more polished individuals who could step up and that the base would be wise to support them.

"Sure. Well, first of all, Donald Trump's not gonna take advice from the party or from me. But, um, I think what will happen is if he's indicted, that becomes one of the factors in whether he wins primaries or not. The other factor is who else is in the race and who can make the best case. Obviously, you, you've highlighted Governor [Ron] DeSantis, who has certainly earned the right to be at the head of the class through, uh, not just through his political rhetoric, but through his successful governing of, of a very large state. And I think, you know, seeing them out on the stump a little more now, get, doing the things that potential presidential candidates do, I think will help that debate along," Cramer said.

"The, challenge becomes if there are too many people in the race mm-hmm and there are other good ones, Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, certainly, uh, my friend Tim Scott, uh, would all be good candidates who understand the Trump doctrine, but um, have a demeanor that's probably more suitable to the swing voter. And at the end of the day, what's most important for primary voters to think about is not just who they love, uh, the most, but who can win for the country and who can win for the party because we're in desperate need of, of some new leadership," he added.

"Do you think electability should matter a little bit more than it usually does?" Todd asked of potential nominees.

"Well, I think it should always matter for, for a primary voter, certainly there, there's no, there's no glory in losing spectacularly compared to winning humbly," Cramer replied. "So I'd, I'd rather see, I'd rather see a, a humble victory."

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