Retiring U.S. Sen. Rob Portman said Thursday that he doesn't expect former President Donald Trump to run for reelection in 2024, arguing Trump could pull back after seeing polls that don't reflect overwhelming support for him.
In an interview with CNBC's "Squawk Box," the Ohio Republican said Trump's numbers begin to flounder when voters are asked if he should run again, even though he's popular among "hardcore Republicans."
"I think he's likely to look at the polling data and say he doesn’t want to lose," Portman said. "So, I don’t think he goes through with it at the end of the day. He's still a powerful force in the party, though, and again, his favorably rating is high. He can play a constructive role. In his administration, what he did on tax policy, regulatory policy, foreign policy, even building up the military − a lot of good things he could talk about. That’s what the role is that he ought to be playing."
Portman's comments came just days after Trump hinted during an Ohio rally that he would announce his 2024 presidential campaign next week. But Republicans nationwide were less successful than anticipated in Tuesday's election, and some advisers have urged Trump to delay the announcement and focus on a runoff Senate election in Georgia.
How Trump fares in 2024 presidential polls
Polling of the 2024 presidential race has been all over the map, but recent numbers have pointed to potential areas of concern for the former president.
A Morning Consult poll conducted earlier this month found Trump had support from 48% of potential GOP primary voters, down from 57% in August. The same survey also showed an increase in support for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who decisively won in his Florida reelection bid this week. Fifty-six percent of Republican voters wanted Trump to run again in an October USA TODAY/Suffolk University survey, but it also showed President Joe Biden winning a potential rematch.
Analysts have noted that candidates backed by the former president had mixed success on Tuesday. In Ohio, U.S. Sen.-elect J.D. Vance won Ohio's competitive Senate race, but two Trump-endorsed GOP newcomers lost key congressional races.
When asked about Portman's comments after an event in Columbus Thursday, Vance said, "That's interesting."
"I don't think that it's certain, but if I had to bet, I would bet that (Trump) does (run)," he continued.
U.S. Senate majority still up for grabs
Portman and Vance also mused about the close fight for the U.S. Senate majority.
As of Thursday, Republicans had 49 seats and Democrats had 48 seats following Tuesday's election. Republicans must hit 51 to regain control of the chamber, while Democrats need only reach 50 because they can use Vice President Kamala Harris as a tie-breaker. Besides the Georgia runoff, results were still uncertain in Nevada and Arizona.
Republicans are poised to take control of the U.S. House, but not by the overwhelming majority they hoped for.
"The American people are divided, kind of right down the middle, and that's reflected in these House numbers," Portman said. "It'll be a Republican majority unless something changes dramatically. But it will be a bare majority and a difficult majority to hold together. In the Senate, it’s still up in the air...it's right on the knife's edge, and people ought to pay attention."
Vance, for his part, said Tuesday's results were somewhat disappointing, and he said it's equally possible he could be governing in the majority or the minority.
"We have divided government regardless," Vance said. "Certainly we have a Republican speaker (of the U.S. House) and a Democratic president. So I actually don't think it substantially changes things. On the Senate side, there's going to have to be some sort of way to end the gridlock if anything is going to get done. If the gridlock continues, in divided government, that means not a lot is going to get done."
Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
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