The 2024 GOP field balloons this week, adding 3 new candidates
The growing field of Republicans running for president will increase by three this week, with the joining of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. The field continues to expand in part as hopefuls see opportunity in Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ fight to become former President Donald J. Trump’s undisputed challenger.
DeSantis is about 30 points behind Mr. Trump in national polls of Republican voters. No one else is within reach, but with one in four Republicans still looking for an alternative to the two frontrunners, fierce competition is brewing to be that other option.
All three of the newest entrants should be considered long shots, at least for now.
But each gets a brief burst of attention in declaring its candidacy, hoping that from small sparks a forest fire will start.
Chris Christie
When: Tuesday June 6
Where: A town hall style event at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics outside Manchester.
The strategy: Mr. Christie, who dropped out of the 2016 primaries early and became a supporter of Mr. Trump, has established himself as the former president’s harshest critic on the Republican front. He says Mr. Trump is unfit to serve after instigating the attack on the Capitol. Mr Christie’s team recently said he would run a campaign aimed at “mixing it up in the news cycle and involving Trump”.
But being an outspoken Trump critic has paid little fruit so far. Out of 10 declared or potential 2024 candidates tested in a Monmouth Bearing last week, Mr. Christie was viewed most negatively by Republican voters (21 percent rated him favorably and 47 percent unfavorably). His strategy is to get on a debate stage, where his signature belligerence, as he has promised, will be aimed at Mr. Trump.
Mr. Christie will likely campaign heavily in New Hampshire, where a large number of independents are expected to vote in next year’s primary, giving Mr. Christie his best shot at damaging Mr. Trump.
Mike Pence
When: Wednesday June 7
Where: A meeting with voters in Des Moines, followed by a CNN town hall at 9 p.m. Eastern.
The strategy: The former vice president brought credibility with social conservatives to the 2016 ticket, but his star faded from the party base after he refused to heed Trump’s attempts to block President Biden’s victory. As an evangelical Christian and former governor of Indiana, Mr. Pence is naturally good with the Iowa conservatives, and he will likely focus much of his campaign on that in hopes of a strong performance in the first round of nominations next year. His campaign aims to reintroduce him to voters as his own man, not just Mr. Trump’s No. 2.
But Mr. Pence, who espouses traditional Regean views on economic and foreign policy – he supports aid to Ukraine – is at odds with the party’s current populist leanings. In the Monmouth poll, he had the second highest unfavorable number (35 percent, versus 46 percent favorable). When Fox News’ Sean Hannity said at a town hall with Mr. Trump on Thursday that Mr. Pence would soon be running in the race, there were boos.
Doug Burgum
When: Wednesday June 7
Where: Fargo, N.D
The strategy: Little known outside his home state, the North Dakota governor made a large fortune from computer software and is able to self-fund his long-running campaign. He has said he believes 60 percent of American voters form a “silent majority” who feel ignored by intense ideological debates that dominate politics. “There is certainly a desire for some alternatives right now,” Mr. Burgum told a Fargo news site.
Energy policy is central to his message: As governor, Mr. Burgum set a goal of achieving carbon neutrality in North Dakota by 2030. accelerating technology to capture carbon emissions in the ground.
The governor is low profile and notably inconsistent with Trump-style populism. That means he is not only little known, but will also be paddling against the current in today’s Republican rapids.