More politicians are jumping into the race for president. Republican Tim Scott announced his presidential run Monday. He’s one of six Republican candidates whose campaigns have raised over $1 million each.
The current president, Joe Biden, and former president Donald Trump are already in the race for the 2024 presidential election. Scott is the latest politician to join the race.
There are now a total of nine potential Republican contenders in the race.
“On the Republican side, it’s a growing field of substantial candidates -- Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, we anticipate of course Governor Ron DeSantis, we anticipate Mike Pence,” News4JAX Political Analyst Rick Mullaney said. “But, as the Republican field grows, it becomes more fragmented, it’s an advantage to Donald Trump who has a solid base.”
And for the Democrats, two so far. Mullaney says Biden could easily be the Democrats pick. “For now, there really is no competition,” Mullaney said. “It’s Joe Biden’s nomination if he wants it, but at his age at 80, that could change over the next year.”
Mullaney said other Democrats who could possibly enter the race include California Governor Gavin Newsom and current Vice President Kamala Harris.
Though campaigning is strategic, Mullaney said the money raised is important too.
“We have certainly seen cases in which the person with the top fundraising does not win -- we saw recently in the mayors race in Jacksonville,” Mullaney said. “We have seen that in other elections but as general rule don’t be fooled, fundraising does matter. And it’s not about millions of dollars, it’s about hundreds of millions of dollars.”
More than $41 million total has been raised by just seven Republicans who have filed to run for president. Donald Trump is at the top with more than $18 million. On the Democratic side, President Joe Biden is by far the top fundraiser with more than $12 million.
“As you look to the future, expect it to be negative, expect it to be polarizing, expect it to be very contentious and hard fought,” Mullaney said.
And how voters respond to strategies used during the 2024 presidential race could dictate who they choose at the polls.
Mullaney said he believes Governor DeSantis is going to say this race is about him and Donald Trump, and will claim that he is the only one that can win. In fact, Mullaney said DeSantis may say it’s a race of “Joe Biden, Donald Trump and him and he is the one that can win.”
News4JAX reached out to DeSantis’ campaign team about when he will announce his bid and we are waiting to hear back.
On the Democratic side, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has also filed but has not reported any money raised so far.