Republicans considering a presidential nomination are holding back on official announcements to see if Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis goes under or makes a critical misstep, their advisers say.
DeSantis — currently Donald Trump’s most serious rival — has been branded by his critics as a “paper tiger” who lacks the charisma to run a successful presidential campaign.
Nonetheless, he has been very successful over the medium term, dominating polls among Republicans looking for a replacement for Trump – while prominent party members have kept their support subtle so as not to anger the former president.
As the 2024 election approaches, a late wave of Republican candidates are expected to throw their hats in the ring. By this point in 2019, nine Democratic presidential candidates had announced campaigns against then-President Trump.
There is no formal deadline by which candidates must submit their application, but certain state-specific criteria must be met, such as: B. in good time before primary elections, election meetings and general elections. The first submission deadline for a final election cycle for the presidential state primary was November 8, 2019 in Alabama.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg became the youngest presidential candidate to officially enter the contest in the last seven elections — in November 2019.
DeSantis (pictured with his family during a dedication ceremony earlier this month) has been branded by his critics as a “paper tiger” who lacks charisma
At this point in 2019, nine Democratic presidential candidates had announced campaigns against then-President Trump
“Anyone whose name isn’t DeSantis has a hard time figuring him out. So they’re waiting for him to screw up or fade away,” Republican strategist Scott Jennings told Axios. “So far he hasn’t done either.”
“No one wants to take slingshots and darts from Trump,” said an advisor to a top 2024 candidate. “It doesn’t matter if they get in early or late if they have a built-in donor network.”
DeSantis isn’t known for being charismatic, but is popular, and has been described by the Financial Times as a “straight shooter” who can address voters “in a clear and direct style that ordinary people understand.”
As Florida governor, he has campaigned for tighter limits and against green ESG investments of state funds, and has committed to making the state the “brick wall against all things awakened.”
Last March, he controversially signed a parental rights law that banned teachers from teaching classes about “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” in kindergarten through third grade, known as the Don’t Say Gay law.
DeSantis has vowed to make Florida the “brick wall against all awakening.”
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley (pictured) is expected to be one of the first candidates running for the presidency and rival Trump
Answers from 4,470 potential GOP primary voters who they would vote for if the 2024 Republican primary or caucus were held in their state today. Survey conducted by Morning Consult
One of the rising stars of the GOP, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is a candidate who is not expected to make an announcement for quite some time as he manages Senate politics in his own state.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who has been described as “well known commodity” by one of his top advisers, is unlikely to announce a candidacy for the presidency any time soon.
‘It is in his interest to wait longer. He’s always available as an option later,” they added.
Another potential, Mike Pompeo, has recently released a book that he will be promoting while touring the country in the coming months, so is unlikely to be making an announcement any time soon, Axios has been told by someone familiar with his thinking .
On the other hand, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley is said to be beginning to mobilize for a presidential campaign. Some of their top advisers have relocated to South Carolina, their base, ahead of an anticipated presidential bid, Axios reported.
In the meantime, DeSantis is unlikely to make a public decision on running until May, when the Florida legislature ends.
Trump recently performed better-than-expected in a poll of 4,470 potential Republican primary voters conducted Jan. 6-8 by Morning Consult.
He remained the leader with 46 percent of the vote, followed by DeSantis, who was preferred with 33 percent. However, Trump’s popularity has dwindled from 50 percent when he announced his plan to run in November.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, one of the rising stars of the GOPs, is unlikely to make an announcement for some time
Former Vice President Mike Pence has been described as a “familiar commodity” by one of his top advisers and is unlikely to announce a candidacy for the presidency any time soon
Trump apparently viewed DeSantis as a threat after the midterm elections, in which many of the candidates he supported — like Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania and Herschel Walker in Georgia suffered humiliating defeats.
In the days after the election, he described DeSantis as an “average REPUBLICAN governor with great public relations” and called him “Ron DeSanctimonious.”
He also used his platform Truth Social to downplay DeSantis’ electoral success.
“Now that the Florida election is over and things have been going pretty well, it shouldn’t be said that I got 1.1 million more votes in Florida in 2020 than Ron D did this year, 5.7 million to 4.6 Millions? Just asking?” he wrote.