Nikki Haley, Tim Scott and Mike Pence Should Endorse DeSantis for 2024

Posted on by Staff

Of the many lessons learned from the 2016 Republican Presidential Primary, the one that remains the most relevant in 2022 is Trump thrived from a large field that fractured opposition to his ascension and ultimate nomination. With only approximately 35% to 40% of the party supporting him, he had enough to take the nomination, because the rest of the field was divided into segments below 35%, typically between 10% to 15% each. Ted Cruz, John Kasich and Marco Rubio all stayed in the race long enough to keep Trump’s 35% higher than his next closest opponent in the final stretch of states hosting their Republican Primary elections.

Following Trump’s announcement that he is running for the presidency yet again, multiple major donors announced that they wouldn’t be backing his third run. Instead, several of those former Trump donors are putting their money toward Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Consider the following shifts that have occurred since the 2022 Midterm Election ended:

  • A PAC named “Ron to the Rescue” launched its first video ad less than 24 hours of Trump’s 2024 announcement.
  • Andy Sabin, a New York-based businessman who owns Sabin Metal Corp., told CNBC that he plans to back DeSantis over Trump should the governor decide to run for president. “I’m not going to give (Trump) a f—ing nickel,” said Sabin, who donated $120,000 toward Trump’s failed 2020 reelection bid. Sabin contributed $55,000 this year to a pro-DeSantis PAC, Friends of Ron DeSantis, which supported the Florida governor’s successful bid for reelection, according to state campaign finance records. And he plans to back DeSantis if he jumps into the next race for president.
  • Thomas Peterffy, founder of Interactive Brokers, revealed on Wednesday that he wants to see a Republican nominee other than Trump this time around. The billionaire had previously donated $250,000 to Trump’s 2020 reelection effort. “I think we need a fresh face,” Peterffy told Bloomberg. “The problem with Trump is he has so many negatives. He can’t get elected, period.”
  • Stephen Schwarzman, the CEO and co-founder of Blackstone, also fled from Trump’s candidacy in the fallout of the midterm elections. “America does better when its leaders are rooted in today and tomorrow, not today and yesterday,” Schwarzman told Axios. “It is time for the Republican Party to turn to a new generation of leaders, and I intend to support one of them in the presidential primaries.”
  • Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, who hosted a fundraiser at his Hamptons home for Trump in the lead-up to the 2020 election, is also telling friends that he will back DeSantis should he run for president, according to CNBC.
  • Multiple polls have shown a script flip, with DeSantis now leading Trump by the margin Trump led DeSantis by, prior to the Midterm Election.
  • DeSantis won four metro regions in Florida that Trump never won and were once considered safe havens for Democratic candidates. With more than 21 million residents, Florida is essentially a microcosm for the United States.

Considering the momentum behind DeSantis, it’s important to re-evaluate Pence, Haley and Tim Scott, three potential 2024 candidates who have shown interest and visited early battleground states such as Iowa and New Hampshire, and touted new biographies that typically precede a presidential campaign. Below are the key strengths and weakness of those three candidates:

FORMER GOVERNOR AND AMBASSADOR NIKKI HALEY:

  • Has foreign policy experience as UN Ambassador, which competitors can’t tout.
  • Has executive experience as a governor, which some potential competitors can’t tout.
  • Would likely improve the Republican Party’s chances to win over more women and minorities.

WEAKNESSES:

  • Doesn’t attract support from Independents and Republicans who have never liked Trump, since she remained steadfastly loyal to Trump during her tenure in office and has yet to offer much criticism of any of Trump’s actions, words or decisions in office.
  • Is unliked by many Trump voters due to her resignation as ambassador and her hawkish approach to military and foreign policy.

FORMER VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE:

STRENGTHS:

  • Has experience as Vice President which competitors can’t tout.
  • Has executive experience as a governor, which some potential competitors can’t tout.

WEAKNESSES:

  • Doesn’t attract support Trump supporters due to his refusal to block the confirmation of Electoral College votes as Trump requested.
  • Doesn’t attract support from Independents and Republicans who have never liked Trump, since he served as Trump’s VP and is still reluctant to harshly criticize the vast majority of Trump’s actions, words and decisions while in office.

SENATOR TIM SCOTT:

STRENGTHS:

  • Inspiring story of overcoming adversity in his youth to succeed in business and politics.
  • Would appeal to black voters and help the Republican Party expand its base of support with a younger generation.

WEAKNESSES:

  • Comes from a state that is already reliably Republican.
  • Doesn’t have executive experience as a governor, unlike his chief competitors, who have served as governors.

If Haley, Pence and Scott truly want the Republican Party to have its best chance to succeed in both the short term and long term, they will put their egos aside, meet, and decide to consolidate their support behind Trump’s only formidable competitor, DeSantis. At the very least, at least two of the three of them should agree to decline to run in 2024, to prevent a divided field that Trump can more easily conquer.

If they truly want the best American future possible, they’ll come to this realization soon and begin a unified opposition to Trump.