A super PAC supporting former President Donald Trump attacked Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in a statement Friday that ostensibly focused on Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and his presidential campaign launch next week.
The head of Make America Great Again Inc. suggested that Scott's imminent entrance into the GOP 2024 primary race is a result of DeSantis's weakness as another soon-to-be-announced presidential candidate.
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"Ron DeSantis's failed shadow campaign has opened the floodgates for career politicians looking to seize an opportunity to raise their profile ahead of the 2028 race," said Taylor Budowich, the group's CEO. "Tim Scott's entrance, and aggressive media purchase, doesn't only kneecap DeSantis, but Scott sees the same thing as Youngkin, Sununu, Burgum, Christie, and others: the path to 2nd place is wide open."
"They smell Ron DeSantis's blood in the water and no longer see him as an obstacle," Budowich continued.
Scott filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Friday morning, the latest indication he will announce a presidential bid during a special campaign event in North Charleston, South Carolina, on Monday. Another indication of Scott's presidential hopes: His unofficial campaign will launch a $5.5 million television ad buy that will run in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two GOP nominating states.
He's not the only candidate challenging Trump. DeSantis is also expected to file paperwork with the FEC next week and announce his run for president. Former Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) and current Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) have flirted with running for president. Christie will reportedly announce a campaign in the '"coming days." This week, a campaign-style video from Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) that references President Ronald Reagan's legacy reignited speculation that Youngkin is not completely closing the door to a presidential run in the future. Not to be outdone by the governors-who-could-run-for-president list, Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) is also reportedly close to announcing his own 2024 campaign.
Despite the growing list of Trump challengers, DeSantis remains Trump's fiercest rival among GOP primary voters. Trump and DeSantis are the top two picks respectively among Republican voters in polls, and DeSantis, along with allies, will have at least $110 million on hand when he is a candidate.
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The Florida governor has summoned top GOP donors to Miami next week, where he could likely solicit them for more funding once the FEC paperwork is filed. But DeSantis's team understands any successful effort to defeat Trump during the primary will have to include success during Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses next year.
Trump is the dominant front-runner in the GOP, and his ability to overcome political and legal scandals will be a strong deterrent to any of his would-be challengers. In 2016, Trump battled 16 other Republicans for the nomination. The more Republicans enter the 2024 race, the easier it may be for Trump to repeat his 2016 success as anti-Trump voters split their votes among DeSantis, Scott, and others.