I hope this post isn't too long. Of course, I don't pick him easily without some serious consideration.

My only requirement is that the person shall support freedom and civil liberties as a core value first. And not be evil (or a dictator).

The individual needs to have their freedom in order to do anything else (like the right to religion for example). Other issues (like immigration, economy, crime, etc.) I'm generally open-minded since the world changes constantly. I would support a reasonable mix of libertarian and conservative views as long as the views/policies don't violate everyone's freedom (or harm our country). I also recognize that there is no one size fits all solution. Nothing's perfect.

If you don't have your freedom, how can you exercise free speech, or think clearly? Or even live happy?

Although there are views and policies I don't agree with him on, he has actual political experience and a decent track record that I like. He supports freedom (civil liberties), vetoed unreasonable bills as governor, and reduced government size (and taxes too).

And personality wise, he seems like a reasonable and decent person to me. If I'm wrong on that, feel free to correct me. Couldn't find much on anything he said in the past that would be considered offensive.

He already ran for president (and lost twice). So much for that. But at least, I'll consider someone similar to Gary Johnson in the future.

DeSantis? Not trying to flame him (and Trump as well) because he already proved himself as Florida governor, but they both have "wild personalities" with varying degree of insults to me. Sadly, this primary race seems to be a wild loyalty test instead. I wish the in-party fighting would stop. DeSantis supports freedom too. Good enough for me.

Kari Lake? Of course I'll vote for her! She supports freedom too. That's more than good enough for me. But she only has experience working as an anchor at FOX-10. Nobody will like my idea of supporting Kari Lake for president simply because I like her. Does she have experience with running a business? No. And some see her as too extreme (which is true to an extent). Favortism doesn't cut it for many.

Vivek Ramaswamy and Larry Elder? I'll consider them both, but Elder said crazy (and possibly offensive) things that would turn other voters away. I myself am afraid of offending others, and I don't like certain views Elder has. Ramaswamy is a successful businessman himself, so I think he'll handle the economy alright. Both have various positions either I "mutually share," or simply don't agree with. 

And finally, what about Trump? He supports freedom and wants to fix the economy (established a good economy as president). I want him back simply because I'm too desperate (I could use a better economy myself). But realistically, nobody will buy my plea because I'm just one person. Trump has his share of "crazy," just like DeSantis. I don't like Trump's aggresive ego.

I might consider Gov. Kristi Noem. She supports freedom, but there are numerous things that I feel others would be mixed on.

But nonetheless, personality, appearance, confidence, and high energy sells better. Not necessarily someone's track record, morales, background, and experience. Sad.

The world's never going to be perfect. And all of us will have to settle with something eventually.