The race to be the next Republican presidential nominee will pick up new speed this week, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expected to officially launch his long-awaited campaign.
But what was long framed as a battle between Donald Trump and DeSantis, Trump’s erstwhile ally, appears to be on the verge of turning into a multitudinous contest.
At least one other contender is expected to formally declare a candidacy this week: Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina filed documents Friday to set up a campaign after months of positioning himself for a candidacy, and is set to launch officially on Monday. Half a dozen or more could soon join the fray.
Allies of former Vice President Mike Pence last week established a super PAC to promote his possible run for the White House. The Governor of New Hampshire chris sununu and former Rep. Will Hurd of Texas, two Republicans who have not been shy about criticizing Trump, have wired that they could be in the race soon. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, another former Trump ally who has since turned on the former president, has also been making noise about a run.
Meanwhile, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has sent mixed signals about his intentions, posted a video last week calling for «a new era of American values.» In North Dakota, Governor Doug Burgum admitted that he was thinking “in 2024”.
This sudden burst of activity reflects several realities for the early stages of the Republican race. The idea of renaming Trump, who polls show is the far favorite, does not sit well with a sizeable segment of the party. And DeSantis, despite being presumed to be Trump’s top alternative, has failed to strengthen his position in the lead up to his announcement, prompting others to consider campaigning.
“Additional conservative names will be welcome for sensible Republicans like me,” said former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, who has criticized Trump. “The unfortunate reality is that the new names will not make a dent in Trump’s current numbers. Too many Republicans are obsessed with the loudest, angry voice in the room instead of the most articulate voice in the room. I hope that obsession changes before it’s too late.»
Trump allies believe that a crowded field works to the former president’s advantage.
A Trump-aligned operative messaged NBC News with a screenshot of the RealClearPolitics average of several polls showing Trump has increased his lead in recent weeks.
“I mean, it gets real,” this person said of the pending expansion of the field. «But functionally, we’re doing our thing while everyone else [competes] for table scraps.
Another Trump ally called the rise of potential new candidates like Scott, Christie and Burgum “the biggest campaign story yet,” predicting it would prevent DeSantis from making leaps and bounds.
«If I’m DeSantis, this is the scene from hell,» the Trump ally said. “Remember, the conventional wisdom from January and February was, ‘Oh, actually this is going to be a very small field. The money has been drowned. And it is very clear, it will not be a small field now.
Erin Perrine, a spokeswoman for Never Back Down, a pro-DeSantis super PAC, rejected the idea that a bigger field would hurt the governor.
“Governor DeSantis isn’t even a candidate, and this Republican primary is already a two-man race,” Perrine said. «There is growing momentum behind Governor DeSantis across the country, as we have seen in his recent visits to Iowa … and New Hampshire.»
Until now, the official camp of the Republican Party has been relatively narrow. Trump launched his campaign last fall, shortly after the 2022 midterm elections. The most visible of the other announced candidates include former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, a newcomer to politics with a manna to attract media attention.
Conservative radio host Larry Elder, who failed to oust California Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021, and wealthy businessman Perry Johnson, who was disqualified from the Michigan GOP gubernatorial primary last year because he failed to collect enough valid signatures, also apply.
DeSantis and his allies are expected to mount a well-funded push. He has been meeting with donors in Florida ahead of its launch and had nearly $86 million in his state campaign account at the end of April. DeSantis can’t spend that money directly on a presidential campaign. But the funds could be transferred to supportive super PACs, including Never Back Down, which has taken the lead in promoting DeSantis for president.
“The energy for the governor of the United States to be the next president is boiling over,” Perrine said. «Americans are hopeful and excited for Governor DeSantis to run because they want to leave behind the culture of losing and the leaders of our past.»
DeSantis has offered only mild criticism of Trump, instead speaking more abstractly about a GOP «culture of losing» — the same phrase used by Perrine, which he sees as an implicit allusion to the party’s losses under heavy pressure. Trump’s influence in 2018, 2020 and 2022. Trump, for his part, has for months been treating DeSantis as if he were already a candidate, relentlessly attacking him on social media and through his campaign staff and surrogates. More than half of the members of the Florida House delegation, of which DeSantis was a member, have endorsed Trump.
«Ron DeSantis’ failed shadow campaign has opened the floodgates for career politicians looking to seize the opportunity to raise their profile ahead of the 2028 race,» Taylor Budowich, chief executive of MAGA Inc., said Friday. with Trump, in response to Scott’s question. campaign file. «The entry of Tim Scott and the aggressive media buyout not only hit DeSantis, but Scott sees the same thing as Youngkin, Sununu, Burgum, Christie and others: the path to second place is open.»