Since Donald Trump barrelled onto the political scene for the 2016 election his grip on the Republican Party has been undeniable.
But even as he eyes up a campaign for re-election in 2024, there are Republican big wigs waiting in the wings to take him on.
Especially as the mayhem that Trump leaves in his wake isn’t appealing for everyone.
Frank Luntz, a political consultant and pollster, spoke to the Mirror about Trump's chances and who is most likely to take over after him.
He said: “The Jan 6th hearings turned Trump into a victim, but Republicans are increasingly tired of all the chaos he creates. Nationally, Trump has an overwhelming lead.”
A lead for now but two weeks is a long time in politics let alone two years.
The party faithful could look to someone else to lead them into the 2024 election. But who is there to take Trump on?
Ron DeSantis
Mr Luntz said: “If Republicans win the House but lose the Senate, Trump will be blamed for supporting weak candidates.
“And if that happens, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is is best positioned to take him on.”
Elected to serve as Florida’s governor in 2019 he came to national attention due to his light handed approach to Covid-19.
As other states brought down stringent methods, DeSantis resisted business closures, face mask mandates and stay-at-home orders in Florida.
With the unpopularity of many of the restrictions growing, he barred local areas in Florida from imposing their own Covid related lockdowns.
An ardent conservative, DeSantis has been a vocal supporter of Trump using it to aid his own political ambitions.
In March 2022 the governor signed into law the Parental Rights in Education Act which has been dubbed the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law.
It bans teaching on sexual orientation or gender identity that is not “age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students" in any grade.
As anyone could expect the law was slammed by LGBT advocacy groups.
But it all just plays into DeSantis’ running ambitions.
Mr Luntz explained: “The party faithful like governors, love conservatives, and hate Covid restrictions. He checks all three boxes.”
As it stands DeSantis is the second person most likely to win the 2024 elections according to the bookies. He comes behind Trump but ahead of incumbent Joe Biden who sits currently in third place.
He continued: “Nationally, Trump has an overwhelming lead. But in the early states that matter most, DeSantis is gaining steam -- and those states matter most.”
Mike Pence
Mike Pence served as Donald Trump ’s Vice President but relations between the two have soured considerably since.
He appears to be laying the ground work for an election run positioning himself as the anti-Trump candidate.
Meeting donors and political allies, he has also endorsed candidates running in Republican primaries who are up against Trump loyalists.
His villain status among the Trump wing of the Republican Party comes from his refusal to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
When angry Trump supports marched on the Capitol Building during the January 6 riots, Pence was as much a target for some of them as Democrat big-wigs such as Nancy Pelosi.
Some of the rioters even saying they wanted to hang him with and a gallows was erected nearby.
Despite his political experience he is not widely loved by the Republican Party members for his perceived betrayal of Trump.
A New York Times/Siena College poll of Republican voters conducted in July, found only 6 per cent said they would vote for Pence if he ran, compared to 49 per cent for Trump.
Nikki Halley
Just behind Pence, the bookies have former ambassador Nikki Halley in for a shot.
She served as first female governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017 before becoming the US’ ambassador to the UN in 2017, a position she held until late 2018.
She has been critical of Trump, notably saying ‘bless your heart’ to him after he attacked her on Twitter for her calls for him to release his tax records.
Presidential hopefuls visit Iowa as the first major contest of the United States presidential primary season.
In a recent visit she teased a run, saying: “I had the pleasure of serving the state that raised me and defending the country I love so much.
"And if it looks like there's a place for me next year, I've never lost a race. I'm not going to start now. I'll put 1,000% in and I'll finish it.
"If there's not a place for me, I will fight for this country until my last breath.”
Chris Christie
Although something of an outside, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie could be one to watch.
Recently in a conversation with talk show host Bill Maher, Christie said “Sure” when asked if he wanted to run.
It wouldn’t be Christie’s first attempt having gone for the nomination in 2016 before pulling out and throwing his support behind Trump.
Christie told Maher: “I’d like to see what happens in the Midterms.
“I think, you know, all I heard in 2016 was that, ‘We’re going to do so much winning that we’re going to be tired of winning’ and we’re going to ask him not to win anymore.
"And then we lost the House and the Senate in ’18; we lost the presidency in ’20; we lost two Senate seats in Georgia in ‘20. A lot of losing.”
He added: “I think they might want to go back to winning again.”
Mr Luntz also said to keep an eye out, saying: “(W)atch for former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, the best debater on either side.”
