Health Secretary Humza Yousaf is expected to enter the race to become the next SNP leader after the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon.
It is understood Yousaf wants to become First Minister and is poised to declare his candidacy.
A friend of the SNP MSP said: “Humza is veering that way. He has a lot of support from MPs and MSPs. Some big names.”
The pal said of his pitch: “Part of it will be about experience. He has been in Government for ten years. He would also be a unifying force. Just as he has managed to get health unions round the table, he would bring the party together.”
Yousaf has been Health Secretary through a challenging period for the NHS in Scotland, with record waiting times at A&E departments and massive backlogs for non-emergency treatments.
He has faced repeated calls for his resignation over the crisis in the NHS.
Before taking up his current role, he was Justice Secretary for nearly three years.
The 37-year-old was first elected as a list MSP for Glasgow in 2011 before becoming the Glasgow Pollok MSP in 2016.
Other potential candidates, including Angus Robertson, John Swinney, Kate Forbes and Keith Brown, have remained tight-lipped about their intentions.
A high-profile MP said he had been approached by candidates asking if he would support them.
Several parliamentarians said they would support Swinney, who is Deputy First Minister and Acting Finance Secretary, and hoped he would go forward.
However, a senior party source played down the prospects of Swinney standing.
One MP said he would support Kate Forbes, who was Finance Secretary before going on maternity leave, as she is “an outstanding performer”.
He added: “I do hope that she puts herself in the running as she would be the best candidate.”
Robertson, who is Constitution Secretary in Sturgeon’s Cabinet, is the current bookmakers favourite for the leadership.
He is one of the highest-profile figures in the party, having served as the party’s Westminster leader.
Brown, SNP depute leader and Justice Secretary, refused to rule out standing for leader on BBC’s Newsnight on Wednesday night.
Junior Ministers Mairi McAllan and Neil Gray have both impressed since being elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2021, but insiders believe it may be too early in their political careers for either of them to stand.
SNP MSP Ash Regan is also believed to be mulling over a run, although she is yet to officially declare.
She tweeted early on Thursday morning that those who have left the party in the last year should be allowed to vote in the leadership election.
She said: “The SNP special conference should now be postponed whilst a leadership contest will also be ongoing.”
“I also call for all those members who have left the party over the last year to be able to rejoin over the next month and be allowed to participate in the leadership election.”
The Edinburgh Eastern MSP stepped down as community safety minister just before the first vote on the Scottish Government’s gender reform legislation.
Labour MSP Jackie Baillie said: “It is astounding the the man whose mismanagement of the NHS has left 1 in 7 Scots languishing on waiting lists believes he should fail upward.
“Incompetent doesn’t begin to cover Humza Yousaf - truly only a man could look at his record and apply for a promotion.
“Patients and staff deserve better than a part-time Health Secretary whose dreaming of changing the curtains at Bute House.”
To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here.
