The latest on the growing 2024 presidential field
There’s an old saying a political candidate once told me on the campaign trail: "The more that we vote for the lesser evil, the more evil we become."
It’s a quote that came to mind several times over the past week since Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis launched his bid for the White House.
His campaign launch made headlines, but not in the way DeSantis might have liked.
The governor took the unconventional approach of teaming up with billionaire Elon Musk to make the big announcement live on Twitter. Musk, who was accused in 2022 of exposing himself to a flight attendant, purchased the social media platform for a staggering $44 billion.
But even $44 billion wasn’t enough to stop technical difficulties that resulted in a glitchy presidential announcement from DeSantis. Despite the embarrassment, his campaign claims to have raised more than $8 million in the 24 hours following his announcement.
The prominent Republican has made a name for himself by attacking LGBTQ+ communities, misusing COVID-19 funds to send migrants to places like Martha’s Vineyard, and going to battle with Disney.
Any indication that a DeSantis presidential bid would mean his resignation as Florida governor was thrown out the window last week when he signed legislation that allows him to stay on in his current position.
The measure, penciled into a larger elections bill S.B. 7050, was signed by DeSantis on the same day he officially started his presidential campaign.
Now, DeSantis will have to set himself apart from his opponent and former President Donald Trump on the national stage. Sure, Trump is mired in scandal — he was recently found liable for sexual abuse and is awaiting a possible second indictment, this time stemming from efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election result in the state of Georgia.
But Trump isn’t backing down. He recently told his former national security advisor, Michael Flynn, "We’re going to bring you back."
Flynn, a central figure in the far-right movement, helped lead Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Flynn served as national security advisor for three weeks in 2017 before being indicted for lying to federal investigators. He was later pardoned by Trump.
Speaking of pardons, a recent lawsuit filed against Trump’s personal lawyer and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani alleges the defendant not only sexually assaulted her but also floated pardons to Trump allies working to overturn the 2020 election at a cost of $2 million.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Mike Pence is still expected to announce his bid for the presidency. A new super PAC, "Committed to America," has been created to help raise third-party funds should Pence make it official.
Other Republican presidential candidates make it official
On May 1, the Republican primary field expanded further with right-wing commentator Larry Elder.
The conservative talk show host ran for governor of California in 2021 during a recall effort to oust Gavin Newsom from office.
Elder, who has no experience in public office, has compared abortion to murder, doubted the harms of secondhand cigarette smoke, called the climate crisis a myth, and vowed to repeal any COVID-19 restrictions in California during his gubernatorial bid.
After months of floating a run for president, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott made it official on May 19. The only Black Republican in the Senate, Scott will be facing off not only against Trump but also former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, the same person who appointed him to a Senate seat in 2012.
Republican hopefuls court Jordan Neely’s killer
Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of killing two men and injuring another man with an AR-15 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August 2020. Shortly after, he was invited to wine and dine with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Nearly three years later, Republican presidential candidates are courting another vigilante killer in Daniel Penny, a U.S. Marine veteran who was caught on camera fatally choking 30-year-old Black man Jordan Neely — a popular Michael Jackson impersonator in New York City — on the F Train in Manhattan.
DeSantis has said publicly that "America’s got his back." Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy took the support a step further, donating $10,000 to Penny’s legal defense fund, which has gone on to raise around $2 million. Haley even called on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to pardon Penny.