NEW YORK (AP) — When Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina launched his campaign for the white house last week, the notoriously prickly former president donald trump he welcomed his new competitor with open arms.
There were no accusations of disloyalty or nasty nicknames from the GOP favorite like the barrage he unleashed when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, considered his main rival, joined the race two days later with a Failed Twitter Ad.
“Good luck to Senator Tim Scott entering the Republican presidential primary race,” Trump said. “He’s taking on a lot of people quickly, and Tim is a huge step up from Ron DeSanctimonious, who is totally ineligible.”
The contrast underscores not only the fact that Trump sees DeSantis as his most formidable rival, but also the basic math: He and his team have long believed that the more candidates enter the Republican primary race, the better for Trump. They are operating on the assumption that no other candidate will be able to consolidate enough of the anti-Trump vote to topple him. They argue that other candidates entering the race are competing for DeSantis’ share of the vote.
And the field grows day by day.
In the coming weeks, at least four additional candidates are expected to launch their own campaigns, joining a field that already includes DeSantis, Scott, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, tech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy and several long-term candidates. like conservative radio host Larry Elder.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s entry into the race is “imminent,” according to a person familiar with his thinking who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss his plans. Former Vice President Mike Pence is expected to launch his campaign next month, and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum is thinking about June 7 as release date. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told The Associated Press last week that he is “seriously considering” running, as is New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu.
Even former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has already run for president twice, recently said on CNN that he had not ruled out a third campaign. And Axios reported that Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has previously said his focus is on state elections, is reconsidering his plans after dismissing earlier speculation.
“This is an indictment of DeSantis’ disastrous announcement and dismal poll numbers,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said of the upcoming announcements. “DeSantis’s blood is in the water and every candidate sees how weak and weak he is.”
In fact, several of the declared and potential candidates have stepped up their attacks on DeSantis as they compete for second place.
Republicans once warned of a repeat 2016, when the expanding Republican field failed to unite around an alternative to Trump, giving him the nomination. But much of the urgency that once existed among Trump’s Republican rivals to limit the field has faded in recent months.
“The important point is not how many candidates start the race, but how many stick around after they no longer have a shot at the nomination,” said Whit Ayres, a veteran pollster and Republican strategist. “We learned that from the Democratic nomination in 2020. There were a lot of candidates that started the race. But once it became clear that Joe Biden was going to win the nomination, within hours the rest dropped out and endorsed him.”
It is still too early, Ayers said, to know who will be the strongest candidate other than Trump.
“The idea that you are going to decide before the race starts which one to run behind is very premature,” he said. “There are so many shoes that could still fall.”
Among them are the ongoing investigations into Trumpincluding the Justice Department’s investigation into his handling of classified documents and state and federal investigations into his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Trump has already been indicted in New York and additional criminal charges would create an unprecedented situation with unknown consequences.
New York-based Republican donor Eric Levine, a fierce critic of Trump, warned earlier this year of dire consequences if the Republican primary field grew too large. This week, however, Levine downplayed the importance of the growing number of candidates, noting that many of Trump’s rivals are only in the low single digits in the polls.
The only “serious candidates” beyond Trump, Levine said, are DeSantis, Haley, Scott, Pence (if he runs) and perhaps Sununu and Youngkin, should they get in.
Still, Levine said, “I would prefer it if there were fewer people, for sure.”
Charlie Neibergall via AP
Meanwhile, Trump has been trying to project a sense of inevitability and dominance of the field. He told reporters during a golf tournament on Thursday that he’s not sure it makes sense for him to debate given current poll numbers.
“Unless it comes close, why would anyone debate?” said of DeSantis.
He also urged the party to unite behind him. Democrats, he said, “expect a long, drawn-out Republican primary.”
“This is why the Republican Party needs to unite behind the standard bearer of the MAGA movement,” he said in a video message, referring to his slogan “Make America Great Again.”
Many Republicans seem to believe that the party will ultimately support their strongest rivals to Trump, while other candidates will step aside once they realize they can’t win. But it’s unclear how exactly that will happen, given the political aspirations of those involved. If DeSantis maintains his second-place position, some worry that his icy relations with the other candidates will make it even less likely that the party will unite behind him.
Meanwhile, candidates like Haley have stepped up their attacks on DeSantis, while others prepare to join the race. They include Suárez, who would be the only Hispanic candidate in the 2024 field.
The 45-year-old Republican is not well known nationally, but has begun meeting with voters in key primary states like South Carolina and is believed to have millions of dollars in the bank.
Suárez avoided any criticism of Trump during a recent interview, saying only that the former president “is definitely in the top position.”
But he was more willing to highlight what he called DeSantis’ “structural” responsibilities, pointing to the Florida governor’s struggle to build relationships with many Republican officials in the state, including himself. He also highlighted DeSantis’ recent conservative legislative achievements and his battle with Disney.
“There are things that, at least what I’ve heard from the donor class, are something that have made them question their support for him,” he said.