A crowded GOP primary seems increasingly possible in 2024, as more Republicans are expected to emerge to face former President Donald Trump for the party’s nomination next year.
Here is a closer look at six conservatives expected to give Trump a run for his money.
THE DEBRIEF: DAVID MARK ON NIKKI HALEY’S CHANCES AGAINST TRUMP IN 2024
1. Ron DeSantis
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is considered the top challenger to the former president, even though he has denied interest in running for the Oval Office, claiming he was focused on his job as the governor of Florida.
The Florida governor made various trips to key GOP states, including Pennsylvania and Ohio, during the 2022 midterm elections to stump for candidates while running for reelection. He cruised to victory in Florida, winning reelection by nearly 20 points and flipping the pivotal Miami-Dade County — a rare win for the GOP in a disappointing cycle they were expected to dominate.
DeSantis’s success as an executive and proven capability as a culture war brawler with the skill to appeal to a range of voters have vaulted him to the clear top of a growing Republican pile.
Trump told reporters last week that DeSantis would be “disloyal” to him should he run. Trump helped the Republican governor get elected in the first place, but DeSantis has made his own mark in the party in the years since.
2. Mike Pence
Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence has long teased another White House bid, and has set himself up as a challenger to his former boss. Pence, who served as vice president during Trump’s four years in office, has been promoting his new book across the country, and said he would make a final decision on running in the coming months.
Before his tenure as the vice president, Pence was a member of the House representing Indiana from 2001 until 2013. He returned home as governor of Indiana in 2013 before running for president and eventually joining Trump’s ticket in 2016.
Trump previously announced that he would choose a different running mate if he is the nominee in 2024, after the two had a falling-out at the end of their time in the White House.
3. Nikki Haley
Former Gov. and Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley (R-SC) is expected to announce her bid for the presidency later this month. Haley would be the first Republican candidate to venture into the field since Trump announced his bid late last year.
Haley was the first woman governor of South Carolina. She served from 2011 to 2017 and later was ambassador to the United Nations under then-President Trump in 2017 and 2018.
Although Haley had vowed she would not run against her former boss, she appears to have gone back on that position. She is expected to announce her campaign on Feb. 15.
“She’s a very ambitious person. She just couldn’t stay in a seat. I said, ‘You know what, Nikki, if you want to run, you go ahead and run,’” Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday.
3. Mike Pompeo
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he will be making a decision on running for president this spring, but said Trump’s decision to run did not play into his own decision. A West Point graduate, Pompeo recently published a book about his time in the Trump administration, and has been traveling the country to promote it.
“We were told we’d get tired of winning. But I’m tired of losing. And so are most Republicans,” Pompeo tweeted in November,
5. Kristi Noem
Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) has not said she would run for president, but claimed Trump was not the party’s “best chance” in 2024. She also declared South Dakota the “freest state in the nation” and has taken a swing at DeSantis, by criticizing his abortion restrictions for not going far enough.
6. Tim Scott
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) recently announced he would embark on a “Faith in America” listening tour, which would include stops in Iowa and his home state. Although he has not stated whether he would run for president, both stops are vital early caucus and primary states.
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Other potential nominees for president include former Gov. Larry Hogan (R-MD), former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR), and Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH), who said he is exploring a run but did not give a timetable for his announcement.
President Joe Biden has not declared a second bid for the White House, but is beginning to make appearances that suggest an announcement is coming soon.
