Florida Governor Rick Scott will be the new Republican presidential candidate this week. Ron DeSantis is expected to launch his highly anticipated campaign.
What was once framed as a war between Donald Trump, Trump’s former ally, and DeSantis appears to be on the brink of becoming a crowded competition.
One other candidate is expected to declare his candidacy in the coming week. Sen. Tim Scott, of South Carolina , filed paperwork on Friday establishing a campaign. He has been preparing for months and will hold his official announcement on Monday. One or two more candidates could join the race in the near future.
Sen. Tim Scott, who filed the paperwork to set up a presidential campaign on Friday, speaks during a town hall in in Manchester, N.H., on May 8.
Charles Krupa / AP file
Allies of former vice president MikePence, created a super-PAC last week to promote his possible White House run. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, and former Rep. Willhurd from Texas — both Republicans who have been vocal in their criticism of Trump — have hinted that they may soon enter the race. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a former Trump ally, who has now turned against the former president, is also making noises about running.
Meanwhile, Virginia Gov. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum admitted he had been thinking about 2024.
This sudden surge of activity is a reflection of several realities in the early stages for the GOP race. A large segment of the GOP does not like the idea of renominating Trump who, according to polls, is by far the frontrunner. DeSantis has not been able to improve his position prior to his announcement despite being considered the leading Trump alternative. This has led others to consider campaigns.
“The addition of conservative names will make a difference to Republicans who are level-headed, like me,” said the former Georgia Lieutenant Governor. Geoff Duncan has been a critic of Trump. “The new names will not make any difference to Trump’s numbers. This is a sad reality. Many Republicans are more interested in the loudest, angriest voice than the most articulate. “I hope that obsession changes before its too late.”
Trump’s allies think that a crowded field is to his benefit.
A Trump-aligned operative sent NBC News a screenshot from the RealClearPolitics Average of several polls that showed Trump increasing his lead over recent weeks.
This person commented, “It gets real,” about the impending expansion of this field. “But, functionally, we are doing our thing as everyone else [compete] for scraps.”
Another Trump ally referred to the rise of new candidates such as Scott, Christie, and Burgum as “the biggest news of the campaign thus far” and predicted that it would stop DeSantis’s momentum.
The Trump ally stated, “If I were DeSantis this would be hell.” Remember, in January and February, conventional wisdom was that this would be a small field. Money has dried up. It’s clear that it won’t be a small market anymore.
Erin Perrine is a spokesperson of Never Back Down, a pro DeSantis super PAC. She rejected the idea that a bigger field would harm the governor.
“Gov. Perrine stated that DeSantis wasn’t even running and the Republican primary was already two men. “There’s a growing momentum behind Gov. DeSantis is gaining momentum across the country, as evidenced by his recent trips to Iowa and New Hampshire.
The official GOP field was relatively small until now. Trump began his campaign in the fall of last year, just after the midterm elections for 2022. Former Arkansas Gov. Nikki Haley and former U.N. Ambassador are the most visible candidates. Asa Hustchinson, and Vivek Ramaswamy a newcomer to politics with media-savvy.
Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder failed in his attempt to recall California Governor. Gavin Newsom and wealthy businessman Perry Johnson who failed to collect enough valid signatures in Michigan’s GOP primary for governor last year are also running.
DeSantis is expected to be well-funded, as are his allies. He met with donors in Florida before his launch, and had almost $86 million in the state campaign account by the end of April. DeSantis can’t spend the money on a presidential race. The funds could instead be transferred to super PACs that support DeSantis’s presidential campaign, such as Never Back Down which is leading the promotion of DeSantis.
Perrine stated that “the energy to elect America’s next President is overflowing.” “Americans are excited and hopeful for Gov. DeSantis because they want to break the cycle of defeat and past leaders.
DeSantis’ criticism of Trump is only mild. He has instead spoken more abstractly of a GOP “culture” of losing — the same phrase Perrine uses — which can be interpreted as an allusion to losses the party suffered under Trump’s influence in 2018, 2022 and 2020. Trump has been attacking DeSantis relentlessly through social media, his campaign staff, and his surrogates for months. Trump has been endorsed by more than half of Florida’s U.S. House delegation, which DeSantis once belonged to.
Taylor Budowich of Trump-aligned MAGA Inc. said in response to Scott’s campaign filing that “Ron DeSantis’ failed shadow campaign opened the floodgates to career politicians who are looking to increase their profile before the 2028 race.” Tim Scott’s entry, and the aggressive media purchase doesn’t just kneecap DeSantis. Scott sees what Youngkin, Sununu and Burgum and Christie do: that the road to second place is open.
