It comes after former US Vice President Mike Pence officially presented himself at the White House, followed by former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, joining a number of others in their quest to earn the trust of the public. party members in the primaries.
As Trump fights an early nomination battle, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ranking second in opinion polls, Pence supporters see a path to a credible conservative who embraces many of the policies of the previous administration, but without the upheavals.
And as Pence began his campaign for the presidency on Wednesday, the American newspaper ‘The Washington Post’ considered the former vice president’s decision to seek a return to the White House to be the greatest challenge for Trump, after that he “served faithfully for 4 years but resisted his warnings to void the 2020 election.”
However, public opinion polls for the Republican Party race showed Pence and a slew of other contenders in the same numbers, behind Trump, who still tops the results, and then Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who occupies second place.
Republican candidates
• Donald Trump
Trump, 76, announced the launch of his campaign last November, but he still faces heavy criticism so far from within the Republican Party over his support for far-right candidates who failed in the presidential election. mid-term, but he is the front-runner of the Republican Party.
• Ron DeSantis
On May 24, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced his candidacy for the presidential election slated for 2024, and said he aimed to “lead the comeback of Greater America.”
De Santes, 44, who ranks second to Trump in most opinion polls, has signed bills that impose new restrictions on abortion, as well as laws making it easier to carry guns, which could help him in the primaries within the Republican Party, but it will affect him more likely among independent and more moderate voters in general.
• Mike Pence
Pence’s entry comes during a series of campaign trails for the Republican Party, since he left office there has been a sharp divide between Pence and Trump over the attack on the Capitol building, and the former congressman is forging his own path as a traditional conservative. A Republican similar to former President Ronald Reagan, Pence is expected to invest heavily in Iowa, where he has already made several visits.
• Nikki Haley
The former governor of South Carolina and US ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration relies on her relatively young age (51) compared to Biden and Trump, and being the daughter of two Indian immigrants, and made a name for himself within the Trump administration. Republican Party as one of the conservatives who can address gender and race issues more reliably than its peers.
• Chris Christie
A former governor of New Jersey, he chose Manchester, New Hampshire, to announce his entry into competition with the rest of the Republican candidates, and he previously ran in the 2016 primaries for the Republican Party, but he didn’t failed to win Republican support to run for president on behalf of the party, to step down and support Trump at the time and become one of his most important allies and close associates, before backfiring him.
• Tim Scott, the only black Republican senator in the United States, is not well known outside of South Carolina, but his optimism and willingness to unite his divided party have helped him resist more aggressive approaches adopted by Trump and DeSantis.
•Asa Hutchinson
The former Arkansas governor announced the candidacy and asked Trump not to run in the wake of the indictment against him, and Hutchinson, 72, bragged that his experience at the ultra-conservative head of state was proof of his ability to implement policies that matter to Republican voters. .
• Glenn Youngkin
The hedge fund manager-turned-Governor of Virginia is seen as a potential GOP contender, having focused on parents’ rights in schools during his campaign, but many of his key supporters have recently sided with DeSantis, suggesting that he might not show up. in the 2024 elections.
• Vivek Ramaswamy
Indian-American investor Vivek Ramaswamy announced his candidacy for President of the United States, and sparked enthusiasm from the grassroots, believing that the candidate from the political mainstream would be a possible alternative to Trump, but he remains a weak candidate.
Strong competition
The Republican Party intends to hold the first primary debate for the presidential elections on August 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, according to the website “The Hill”, with the second debate taking place on the 24th of the same month, at the Presidential Library. Ronald Reagan. in California.
US strategic affairs expert Irina Tuskerman said in an interview with “Sky News Arabia” that most Republicans have so far been split between Trump and De Santis, and unaware of other possibilities.
Tuskerman defined the position within the Republican Party regarding plurality of candidates on a number of points, saying:
• They have consolidated their positions in the last period, but with the growing number of candidates, it is difficult to concentrate and it is difficult for anyone to stand out during election campaigns.
• Support for Trump and DeSantis has become increasingly popular with members of the Republican Party, but both candidates can mislead the public on various issues in an effort to win votes and gain trust.
• It is possible that the candidate described as a “dark horse” will appear, but it will only appear clearly when the picture becomes clear in the primaries, and the candidate who can break this deadlock will naturally have to have a strong personality and be able to overcome irrational positions and conspiracy theories, as well as to mobilize other candidates and possibly obtain votes.
• In the meantime, each candidate’s camp is trying to undermine and criticize the other candidate, and that’s what Trump and De Santis are doing. Trump and his supporters are increasingly attacking De Santis for winning over a segment of independent and Democratic voters, while the latter is counting on Elon Musk and his base to do the same for him.
• Some have criticized the growing number of candidates for the Republican Party, which is causing the opposition to Trump to fragment, but the truth is that most of these candidates will only have a limited number of supporters.
• Some candidates try to increase their personal stakes or obtain offers of positions in a future administration in exchange for political support.
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