Democrats aren’t happy.
As more speculation surrounds who will be vying for the Republican Presidential Nominee, one thing is certain: the nominee will likely be from Florida. Presently, four Floridian Republicans –– including former President Donald Trump –– are assumed to be eyeing the White House in 2024, as Florida becomes an epicenter of conservative politics.
When Trump first ran for the White House in 2016, he was a resident of New York; he has since moved to the Sunshine state, meaning, if he were to confirm what many pundits believe to be true, he would be Republicans preferred candidate. As the other three Republicans, which include Governor Ron De Santis and Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio are not strong contenders.
Despite Florida being a swing state, the state has –– for the first time in its history –– more registered Republicans than Democrats, explaining why it has become such an influential state to GOP politics.
Speaking on the matter –– a Republican strategist and former congressional candidate –– Ford O’Connell stated that it was “almost guaranteed that a Floridian is going to be the nominee in 2024,” pointing out that before the former president’s move to Florida, the state hadn’t had “a Presidential nominee or VP nominee.”
However, Scott and DeSantis have indicated they were not interested in running for the 2024 presidential election, pointing to other plans –– Scott pursuing reelection in the Senate and DeSantis focusing on his role as Governor. Trump has failed to confirm or deny whether he will be running despite dropping many hints.
But, if Trump were to announce his candidacy, he would be a favorite, according to a poll by Reuters/Ipsos. Conducted in December, the poll revealed the former president remained firmly in the lead at 54%. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also scored double-digits but trailed far behind Trump at only 11%, Rubio was at 2%, and Scott didn’t feature in the poll.
