On Saturday, Donald Trump was in Pennsylvania on behalf of Republican candidates and, of course, he was dropping hints of his coming announcement that he’s running for president.
“We’re winning big in the Republican Party for the nomination like nobody’s ever seen before,” Trump told a crowd in Latrobe, Penn., on Saturday night. Trump then went down the list of challengers to his primacy.
“There it is, Trump at 71%, Ron DeSanctimonious at 10%,” Trump told the crowd while reading the approval numbers of various Republicans.
“Mike Pence at 7, oh, Mike is doing better than I thought,” Trump continued. “Liz Cheney, there’s no way she’s at 4%. There’s no way. There’s no way. But we’re at 71 to 10 to 7 to 4.”
For our VIPs: Trump’s Petty Feud With Ron DeSantis Is Bad for the GOP
The jab at DeSantis is an indication that the race for the 2024 Republican nomination for president is already well underway. And both Trump and DeSantis will be in Florida on Sunday holding dueling rallies. Both candidates will ostensibly tout the candidacies of other Republicans. But everyone within earshot knows that this is the unofficial kickoff to the official kickoff to the race that will occur when Trump makes his announcement sometime in the next 10 days.
But planning competing events inside Florida two days before a momentous Election Day is especially illustrative of how fraught the relationship between the former allies has become. Unlike other potential 2024 contenders, DeSantis has not declined to run against Trump in a primary, much to Trump’s ire. DeSantis, meanwhile, believes such a concession would undermine his attempts to keep the focus on his current reelection race instead of what may lie ahead, CNN previously reported. DeSantis and his campaign have declined to publicly discuss his plans for after the midterm, but in a recent debate, he wouldn’t respond when asked if he intends to serve a four-year term if reelected.
If they do go head-to-head in a primary, the two candidates may find themselves on similar financial footing. DeSantis has raised $200 million this campaign cycle through his two political committees and has spent just over half, leaving about $90 million in potential seed money for a Super PAC. At the end of October, Trump was sitting on about $117 million between his three active fundraising vehicles, according to federal election data.
DeSantis and Trump are sucking all the oxygen out of the room in Florida this weekend, and almost all political observers from both parties believe these two men will be the top competitors for the nomination.
But other political personalities are seriously looking at a run for the GOP nomination as well.
Former Vice President Mike Pence; former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; former South Carolina governor and former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley; Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Ted Cruz of Texas; and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan are among the possible White House hopefuls who have made multiple trips to Iowa and the other early-voting primary and caucus states over the past year and a half.
At this point, most Republicans might wonder what these politicians are smoking. Looking at the polls and the reality of the political landscape, none of these presidential wannabes appear to be competitive.
But if both Trump and DeSantis falter for whatever reason, these potential candidates want to be in the best position possible to pick up the pieces. And if lightning doesn’t strike, there’s always the second spot to consider.
In the next few months, the first “beauty contests” for president will be held. The Republican Governor’s Association will hold its winter meeting in Florida and several politicians mulling a run will be there. And the Republican Jewish Coalition will hold its leadership meeting later this month in Las Vegas where a dozen Republican potential candidates will be on display.
So after the midterms, the race will begin in earnest. Are we really ready for this?
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