TOPLINE
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to launch a presidential exploratory committee in mid-May ahead of a possible mid-June announcement, according to multiple reports—the latest indicator that he will enter the 2024 GOP primary race as former President Donald Trump leads him by double digits in most polls.
KEY FACTS
Donald Trump: The former president announced his entry into the race a week after the November election on wounded footing as prominent GOP members blamed him for a string of midterm election losses that left the party with a slimmer-than-expected majority in the House, but he maintains broad support among those who voted for him in previous elections.
Ron DeSantis: Unlike Trump, the midterm election was a boon to the Florida governor, who won a second term by a wide margin and became the first GOP candidate in 20 years to win Miami-Dade County, but DeSantis has suffered a series of political blow in recent weeks, including losing endorsements of the majority of Florida’s GOP congressional delegation to Trump.
Asa Hutchinson: Hutchinson, who served eight years as governor of Arkansas until the end of last year, announced his intention to run in an ABC News interview on April 2—Hutchinson has been a vocal critic of Trump, going so far as to say the January 6 Capitol riot “disqualifies” him from running again and that he should drop out of the race after being indicted in New York.
Tim Scott: The South Carolina senator—who raised speculation that he would enter the race earlier this year when he embarked on a multi-state tour to promote his political message—launched an exploratory committee in mid-April, paired with a video announcement where he vows to “never back down in defense of the conservative values that make America exceptional.”
Mike Pence: The former vice president, while traversing the country to promote his new memoir, So Help Me God, has left open the possibility of a presidential run, and recently made a firm rebuke of his former boss before journalists and politicos at Washington’s annual Gridiron dinner: “History will hold Donald Trump accountable for January 6 . . . President Trump was wrong. His reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day,” he said.