Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley jockey for position in what could be a crowded 2024 field if Trump sits out

Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) are jostling for position behind the scenes for a possible 2024 presidential run.

Hawley insists he's not running for president, but Cruz says he doesn't believe him and has signaled that he's open for another White House campaign after falling short in 2016 to Donald Trump -- who still hasn't declared his own intentions for the next cycle, reported Politico.

“There’s a long history of senators in both parties claiming they’re not running for president, then miraculously having a change in opinion,” Cruz said of Hawley and other senators. “I’m not sure I would take anybody in either party at face value on that one.”

Both GOP senators challenged Trump's election loss in 2020 and voted against Joe Biden's certification, even after the insurrection, and have battled the Biden administration's nominees for ambassadorships and Pentagon roles.

“They both have their own approaches,” said Senate Judiciary chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) “Cruz is always on the attack no matter who the nominee is. Hawley takes a little different approach.”

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Senate Republicans are watching their battles against Biden with an eye on 2024, which could see an explosion of contenders should Trump decide not to seek a second term.

“Ted Cruz has run before, I’m sure he’s thinking about it [and] Josh Hawley probably is as well,” said Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), who speculated on some other GOP challengers. “Tim Scott, Rick Scott, Marco Rubio -- the list has got to be long.”

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is another 2016 candidate who may run again, and Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) are also rumored to be considering a run.

“If Trump doesn’t run, I think everybody runs," Cruz said. "Every name you’ve heard, every name you haven’t even heard."

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Cruz and Hawley are engaged in a proxy fight in Hawley's home state of Missouri, where GOP Sen. Roy Blunt is retiring, and Hawley has endorsed Rep. Vicky Hartzler in the primary race and Cruz endorsed Eric Schmitt, who took over as attorney general after Hawley was elected to the Senate.

"I can tell when somebody’s interested in running for something,” said one Republican senator who was "surprised" to see Cruz get involved in that race. “All you do when you endorse is make enemies.”