The 2024 Republican presidential primary has begun, whether we’re ready or not, y’all. Trump started it with his official announcement on Tuesday night so now every interview with prominent Republicans will include a question about a potential run for president in 2024. You know it’s already happening.

The Republican Governors Association is holding their annual winter meeting in Florida this week. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu was asked it there were potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates at the conference. Sununu replied, “I have no doubt.” He specifically mentioned Governors Ron DeSantis and Glenn Youngkin. “People here are excited about a governor being president,” he continued, adding, “It’s clearly [what] at least this group of folks want to see.”

Back in April I wrote about Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson perhaps having thoughts about running in the GOP presidential primary. I know at the time it seemed like an off-the-wall suggestion because, well, Asa Hutchinson? Does he have a national profile or any notable accomplishments as a governor of a small, mostly rural southern state? At the time I had that thought because he was doing lots of media interviews and looked like he was trying to be seen. And, as it turns out, he is thinking about it. He’s term limited in his current job so he’s looking at the next move, apparently.

Hutchinson was interviewed on CNN on Thursday and he admitted that he is thinking about a run.

Hutchinson said, “A successful candidate is someone who addresses the problems that faces America. As you mentioned, I was in Iowa yesterday, and people are concerned about the rising cost, the excessive government spending, and they want their lives back, their freedoms back, and that’s the Republican message. This last midterm election was not a rejection of our ideas. It was a rejection of specific candidates that was not focused on the problems of Americans. So that’s the candidates. Those are the ones that can win. I agree with the vice president. There’s going to be a number of alternatives in 2024 to the former president’s announcement.”

Hutchinson said, “Absolutely. I’m looking at it, looking at it very seriously. After the midterm elections, it’s more intense, and it is accelerated review. And after going to Iowa, I’m encouraged that a governor who’s actually solved problems, who has a conservative common sense approach can draw support and can be a good alternative. So I’m encouraged by it, probably looking at January for a decision point.”

Hutchinson also said he doesn’t think Trump will be successful in the GOP primary as he was in 2016.

“People understand who Donald Trump is today and his style, and I don’t think there’s going to be anything new in his approach,” Hutchinson told CNN. “I don’t believe it will be the same as 2016. He’s a known quantity now, we know the chaos that comes with him. That’s really not the kind of leadership that’s good for America.”

It’s going to be interesting, isn’t it? Republicans have a deep bench, and yes, it includes some very successful governors. I don’t know that Hutchinson falls into that category but the voters in Arkansas must approve of him because he’s been re-elected there. Governor DeSantis is the most popular governor right now among Republicans who are speculating about 2024 and Governor Youngkin is also frequently named as a possible contender. Some point to my own governor, Governor Abbott, but, though he has proven himself a strong leader, I am not at all convinced that he has presidential ambitions. We’ll see if that changes. The point is, there is not a shortage of governors who may step forward.

I won’t be surprised to see former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie try another run. He’s remained rather coy when he’s asked about it but he often sounds like he’s thinking about it.

Governors make good presidents. Look no further than Ronald Reagan. Governors gain the kind of experience on a smaller scale that they face in running the entire country. They have to make decisions about everything – budgets, security, social services, natural disasters, emergency declarations, the whole enchilada. It’s just good preparation for the presidency. I certainly prefer a former governor over a former senator. I’ll still take George W. Bush over Barack Obama and Joe Biden any day. Even Bill Clinton understood that in order to run for re-election after his party lost so many seats in his first mid-term election he would have to change course and work with Republicans. That is when we got welfare reform, for example, thanks to Clinton and Newt Gingrich working together. Joe Biden, in comparison, said he’ll change nothing moving forward, though he lost the House and may be stifled in the Senate, depending on the outcome of the December 6 Georgia senate run-off race.

It’s interesting watching the Republican governors take a pass on talking about Trump’s entry into the race. They are doing their best to ignore it while at the same time acknowledging that some of them are interested in the job.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine agreed: “I’m sure there’s more than one” Republican at the conference thinking of launching a presidential bid, he said.

Speaking at another panel, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said the lesson he took from the midterm elections was “that there is a real hunger in this country for competent leadership” but “that can be done so with a degree of civility that rarely exists in politics today.”

“I hope that we can, as a party … be those leaders for the people that are waiting for us to be,” he added.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who was on the panel with Lee, said the party was failing to inspire young voters and needed to re-evaluate how it messaged toward that demographic “because they’re just buying the propaganda that’s out there that’s in their classrooms.”

She added Republicans should stop trying to generate attention by saying “crazy” things.

Look for another big GOP primary field when it comes time for everyone to make a decision on whether or not to run. Republican governors will likely be well-represented among the crowd.