I know your bookie is telling you to check the over/under on the Trump/DeSantis matchup. And depending on who you ask and the time of day, Trump or DeSantis is going to be the GOP nominee; keep your local sports book on speed dial. But slowly, the list of Oval Office hopefuls is filling in. First, it was Nikki Haley. Now South Carolina Republican Tim Scott is considering a run for the presidency. And so is Vivek Ramaswamy.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Scott, who is the only black Republican in the Senate, is in the process of testing the waters. Scott has been a supporter of Trump in the past, and he is an advocate of school choice and reciprocal concealed carry. He recently took the Smithsonian to task for demanding that South Carolina Catholic school students remove their pro-life hats during a visit to the Air and Space Museum. He has a solid conservative voting record and tried to work with Cory Booker and Karen Bass on police reform legislation.
Scott’s main problem is not going to be policy. It is going to be name recognition. He is up against a man who is taking on Disney and another who at times seems to be turning into a Disney character before our eyes. No matter who you back, Scott is staring at a deficit when it comes to notoriety. DeSantis is billed as a street fighter while Trump has the war chest, NFTs, bumper stickers, hats, flags, and a vocal cadre of supporters. And frankly, he has the support of the Left-wing media. They need Trump the way a junkie needs a fix. Although DeSantis is quickly becoming the alternative drug of choice for the chatterati. Most recently, DeSantis announced legislation to prohibit banks from using ESG scores as criteria for loans. Scott’s biggest hurdle may well be being written off by the Left as someone who is the wrong color for his party, and then being ignored for the rest of the race.
Related: DeSantis Keeps Things Classy as Trump Goes on Offense
And you can also add Vivek Ramaswamy, the founder of Strive Asset and a well-known voice challenging ESG. He told The Daily Caller that he is “seriously considering” a 2024 White House run. In an interview, he said that America is in the middle of a national identity crisis because the things that used to identify the country have disappeared. He also sees woke ideology as a symptom of the “hunger for meaning.” His platform would consist of taking on China on the economic front, shutting down multiple federal agencies, getting rid of “managerial” government employees, fighting affirmative action, and reforming what he calls the national security state.
Vivek Ramaswamy, the oft-described CEO of Anti-Woke Inc., is going to run for president.
reports @dlippmanhttps://t.co/6ZEY3a62k9
— Sam Stein (@samstein) February 13, 2023
Ramaswamy recently spoke with Republican leadership and farmers in Iowa and received a warm reception regarding combatting woke idealogy. He has also assembled a team in preparation for a potential run. While Trump or DeSantis may be the forgone conclusion for the frontrunner, seeing Scott and Ramaswamy even thinking about it gives me hope. Conservatives need fresh voices and fresh ideas. Yes, DeSantis is one of those voices, and should he be tapped for the nomination, we will still need a deep bench to draw from in the future.
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