WASHINGTON – Many Republicans are spending the holidays planning for the congressional and gubernatorial elections of 2022 – especially Donald Trump and other Republicans who are thinking of running for president in 2024.

The midterm elections are still more than 11 months away, but the Republican presidential race of early 2024 is well underway, a unique behind-the-scenes contest involving more than a dozen potential candidates and being conducted in the giant shadow of a volatile ex-president named Trump.