Campaign Report
|
Campaign Report
|
|
|
DeSantis set to launch 2024 bid with Musk
|
The race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination is entering a new, more volatile phase this week as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) prepares to jump into the already-crowded field.
|
© Getty Images/Octavio Jones
|
The Florida governor is expected to announce his presidential campaign in a livestreamed chat with Twitter CEO Elon Musk tomorrow evening, according to multiple reports. The DeSantis campaign confirmed to The Hill that a “special Twitter Spaces” will take place on Wednesday at 6 pm ET.
DeSantis’s campaign launch would follow that of Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who kicked off his presidential bid on Monday with an event in North Charleston, S.C. He filed paperwork declaring his candidacy last week with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), but his Monday announcement brought his campaign out into the open.
And there’s still the possibility that even more candidates get into the race in the coming days. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is said to be nearing a campaign launch, while New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu is also still weighing a bid and has said that he plans to make a decision by June.
The flurry of new and potential announcements means that the Republican primary field may grow even more crowded — a development that some in the party hoped to avoid, because they fear it could ease former President Donald Trump’s path to the GOP nomination next year.
Scott’s entrance into the race on Monday brought the list of major 2024 Republicans to six; Trump, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and radio host Larry Elder are also seeking the nomination.
It also raises questions about how the candidates will take on Trump, who still leads in early polling by wide margins. Christie has already signaled that he plans to take a head-on approach to the former president, and has taken shots at him over everything from Trump’s reluctance to participate in presidential primary debates to his comments on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But others, like DeSantis, appear likely to take a hands-off approach to Trump. NBC News’ Natasha Korecki reported on Tuesday that the Florida governor will most likely brush off Trump’s daily attacks and will take him on only in more limited circumstances.
|
Welcome to The Hill’s Campaign Report, we’re Max Greenwood, Caroline Vakil and Julia Manchester. Each week we track the key stories you need to know to stay ahead of the 2024 election and who will set the agenda in Washington.
|
|
|
Key election stories and other recent campaign coverage:
|
|
|
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is poised to announce his 2024 presidential run on Twitter on Wednesday. According to multiple reports, the Florida governor will make the announcement during a discussion with Twitter CEO Elon Musk. The discussion will be live streamed on Twitter Spaces and moderated by tech entrepreneur David Sacks, NBC News reported. In an email to reporters on Tuesday, DeSantis’s political team announced …
|
|
|
|
Former President Trump defended his hesitancy to back a national abortion ban, arguing “exceptions are very important” to restrictions put in place. Trump said in an interview Tuesday with political commentator John Solomon on his podcast, “John Solomon Reports,” some people want no exceptions to abortion prohibitions, but he supports exceptions for instances of rape, incest and to protect the life of the mother. “I’m …
|
|
|
|
GOP presidential candidate and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s campaign has labeled Ron DeSantis as like former President Trump “without the charm” ahead of the Florida governor’s expected jump into the 2024 champaign this week. “The glaring difference between the two is DeSantis’ inability to interact directly with voters. The last several months have been filled with brutal headlines about his lack of basic people …
|
|
|
|
Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching:
|
- 144 days until Louisiana’s gubernatorial election
-
168 days until Kentucky’s and Mississippi’s gubernatorial generals
- 532 days until the 2024 general election
|
|
|
Anti-abortion group flexes political muscles
|
Nearly a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion is still poised to play an outsized role in the 2024 elections.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a prominent anti-abortion rights group, has begun to ramp up pressure on GOP presidential candidates, urging them to stake out staunchly conservative positions on the issue and commit to backing a federal ban on the procedure.
In an effort to further that case, the group recently partnered with Kellyanne Conway, the longtime Republican pollster and former Trump adviser, to help train candidates on how to talk about their stance on abortion rights.
“Pro-lifers must be clear, crisp, compelling and, yes, compassionate in saving lives and appealing to hearts and minds,” Conway said in a statement to The Hill.
“States’ rights are essential, but leaders in Washington also must support our first freedom, the right to life. More than 70% of the country agrees that abortion not past the first trimester, e.g., 15 weeks, is reasonable, yet 100% of Democrats insist on abortion, anytime, anywhere, anyone. They deny science, sonograms and sensibility.”
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America flexed its political muscles last month when it openly criticized Trump after he suggested that abortion restrictions should be left up to individual states rather than the federal government. Trump eventually met with the group’s president Marjorie Dannenfelser to smooth things out.
Dannenfelser said after her meeting with Trump that she had been having similar conversations with “all other GOP presidential hopefuls.” The group has made clear that it won’t back any candidate who doesn’t support at least a 15-week federal abortion ban.
|
|
|
No Republican presidential hopeful has come anywhere near Trump when it comes to congressional endorsements. But DeSantis added one more member to his list on Tuesday: Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.).
McCormick’s endorsement makes him the most prominent Georgia Republican yet to weigh in on the 2024 presidential race. In a statement, McCormick cast DeSantis as the future of the Republican Party, arguing that the country is in need of a new political voice.
“We need a warrior who will do whatever it takes to champion conservative values and safeguard the next generation,” McCormick said in a statement. “When it comes to the 2024 election, I’ve made my choice: Governor Ron DeSantis is battle-tested and ready to be our next President.”
“But most of all, this election is not about the past, it’s about the future – who can lift us up? Who can inspire a Nation? Who can lead us forward? That’s Governor Ron DeSantis – a bold conservative, a man of character and conviction, a champion of our values.”
So far, four other House members – Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Chip Roy (R-Texas), Laurel Lee (R-Fla.) and Bob Good (R-Va.) – have picked DeSantis over Trump in the 2024 race. That pales in comparison to Trump, who’s amassed endorsements from more than 50 House Republicans, but still puts the Florida governor ahead of most of his likely Republican rivals.
|
|
|
Branch out with a different read from The Hill:
|
|
|
This is the fourth in a five-part series called “How Florida got so conservative.” Florida’s shift to the right has turned the Sunshine State under Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) into a model for other GOP-led states seeking to enact culturally conservative policies. It has also turned DeSantis into a national Republican leader preparing to challenge former President Trump in the GOP primary …
|
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) suggested the next president could nominate two new justices to the Supreme Court to solidify its conservative majority. DeSantis gave remarks at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention on Monday, outlining that the next president could shape a conservative majority on the Supreme Court over the next two terms. DeSantis is expected to announce his bid for the White House this week, which …
|
|
|
Local and state headlines regarding campaigns and elections:
|
-
Miami ordered to draw new voting map months before elections for 3 commission seats (Miami Herald)
-
Judge rules against Kari Lake, affirms Hobbs as AZ governor in election signature verification trial (Arizona Republic)
-
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin reconsiders 2024 bid (Axios)
|
|
|
Election news we’ve flagged from other outlets:
|
-
‘Blood in the water for DeSantis’: Trump world embraces Tim Scott’s candidacy (Politico)
-
Questions about Trump, DeSantis and Biden field growth of 2024 GOP field (Wall Street Journal)
-
Sen. Tom Carper will not run for fifth term in Delaware next year (Roll Call)
|
|
|
Key stories on The Hill right now:
|
|
|
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) tried to calm fears of a possible debt default Tuesday, pleading with everyone to “relax” as talks continue between the White House and House GOP negotiators ahead of the likely June 1 deadline. “I think everybody needs to relax,” McConnell told reporters in … Read more
|
|
Republicans in the House are signaling growing skepticism that the June 1 deadline Treasury Department Secretary Janet Yellen set for lawmakers to raise the debt ceiling is really set in stone. With the end of the month now little more than a week away, and the White House and Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) remaining far apart in negotiations, … Read more
|
|
|
Opinions related to campaigns and elections submitted to The Hill:
|
|
|
You’re all caught up. See you next time!
|
|
|
|
