Republicans Appear Fully Willing to Repeat the 2016 Presidential Primary

As Donald Trump baits Governor Ron DeSantis into a dirty—albeit still unofficial—primary battle, a few lesser-known presidential prospects have begun to quietly build out their political operations, adding to what could become a crowded field of candidates who might split the vote in Trump’s favor.

On Wednesday, NBC News reported that Chris Sununu, the popular Republican governor of New Hampshire, launched the Live Free or Die committee, a 501(c)(4) organization that is not restricted by fundraising caps or donation-disclosure laws, making it a good barometer to gauge early donor interest. The governor, who once described himself as a “Trump guy through and through,” has also joined the former president in taking shots at DeSantis.

“I’m ranked the most fiscally conservative governor in the country,” Sununu told Politico on Thursday. “I’m number one in personal freedoms. Sorry, Ron, you’re number two.” He went on to boast about his progun record. “I would challenge anyone on Second Amendment rights,” he said, adding that New Hampshire has “far and away the best [firearm laws] because we believe in those individual freedoms.” 

Sununu is not the only Republican governor to start nationalizing his brand in recent weeks. Georgia’s Brian Kemp—who won his gubernatorial reelection last year despite Trump’s best efforts to have him unseated—has hired two veteran Republican fundraisers to work for his political action committee, according to a Thursday report from Politico. Kemp’s Hardworking Americans PAC, as its executive director put it, plans to “support candidates who have a backbone, who are principled conservatives, and who put the hardworking men and women of this country first.” The PAC’s new website has all the trappings of a presidential-campaign teaser, complete with a litany of GOP talking points as well as a video featuring everyday Americans praying at a dinner table, firing up a tractor, and holding their babies. 

Later this month, Kemp is scheduled to appear at an Austin conference where possible presidential hopefuls will speak before top Republican donors, per Politico. The conference—which is being organized by Karl Rove, who advised potential GOP candidates “to reach as many party leaders, activists, and donors as possible” before challenging Trump—will also feature former vice president Mike Pence, Senator Tim Scott, and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, who is expected to officially enter the GOP primary next week.

It’s still unclear how many Republicans will enter the contest, but a primary vote split between multiple candidates would likely benefit Trump. This week a Yahoo News–YouGov poll of Republican and Republican-leaning voters showed DeSantis with a slight lead over Trump. However, when respondents were presented with a three-way contest, Haley pulled enough votes from DeSantis to give Trump a three-point victory.

On the Democratic side, Senator Joe Manchin, the most conservative Democrat in the Senate, fed into speculation this week that he might launch a third-party bid in 2024, according to The Hill. “I don’t like the direction we’re going,” he said, declining to rule out a possible presidential run. “I’m going to work and commit myself to try to get people who want to do the right thing to find the pathway forward, bringing the country back together.”