Donald Trump remains the favorite of GOP primary voters. But that hasn’t stopped another 14 candidates from jumping into the race for the Republican nomination in the hopes that they can dethrone him — or at least interview for a position in the next administration.
The former president, who announced his candidacy in November, has been increasingly dominant in polling. His closest competitor, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, is trailing him by more than 40 percentage points on average as of late August.
Seven others have qualified for the first GOP debate Wednesday night, which Trump has opted to skip altogether:
- North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum
- Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
- Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley
- Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson
- Former Vice President Mike Pence
- Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy
- South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott
All are currently polling in single digits but likely hoping the debate creates an opportunity to replace a weakened DeSantis, weighed down by campaign missteps, as the definitive alternative to Trump.
It’s unclear, however, whether anyone can launch a viable challenge to Trump, despite some Republicans seeing him as a liability in a general election. Not only is Trump the subject of several ongoing civil and criminal investigations, but he’s broadly unpopular among Americans. He lost his reelection bid in 2020, and his chosen candidates underperformed in the 2022 midterms. But, far from turning off the base, all of that has only further entrenched Trump’s support among Republican voters.
Here’s everything you need to know about the GOP contenders.
The GOP leaderboard
So far, the primary has shaped up to be a lopsided two-way contest between Trump and DeSantis. It’s not clear that DeSantis has what it takes to best Trump, his former mentor who remains beloved by the base despite the criminal charges against him. That could leave room for another candidate, potentially Ramaswamy, who’s polling a…
Read the full article here