Ahead of former President Donald Trump's Tuesday announcement at Mar-a-Lago, some Republicans think that, in reality, the party has a different leader. That would be Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) who won reelection against Charlie Crist, who was running as a Democrat, last Tuesday by nearly 20 points.
POLITICO highlighted remarks from Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) in a Monday report, with the senator of the most Republican state and one of the most pro-Trump states declaring that the question worth asking is who the party leader is. "The question is: who is the current leader of the Republican Party? Oh, I know who it is: Ron DeSantis," she said. "Ron DeSantis is the leader of the Republican Party, whether he wants to be or not."
Her remarks that DeSantis is that leader, "whether he wants to be or not" are particularly telling when it comes to whether or not DeSantis will declare his own presidential run. While Trump's announcement, should it indeed come on Tuesday, would be the first, others may soon follow, including from DeSantis.
Also mentioned in POLITICO's report include those who seem to be at least delaying their endorsement include Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Josh Hawley (R-MO).
Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and John Cornyn (R-TX), who hold or have held leadership positions in the upper chamber, were also mentioned in that they would not make an endorsement:
South Dakota’s John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican, had no qualms on Monday about declaring he wouldn’t endorse Trump in a contested primary. Neither did Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), saying: “No. I’m sure I’ll support the nominee of the Republican Party, but I think there’s likely to be a competitive primary election.” Both are prospective successors to McConnell, who declined to comment.
“It’s clear that running on relitigating the 2020 election is not a winning strategy,” Thune said. “I’m not endorsing anybody, at this point.”
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Even Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a Trump ally, made similar comments, according to CNN's Manu Raju. If there's anything he seems to be endorsing, it's for voters to have a choice in the primary.
GOP Sen. Kevin Cramer, a Trump ally, told me this of Trump’s likely 2024 run: “None of us are entitled to these jobs. He's certainly not entitled to it.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 14, 2022
Cramer said of 2024: “I think we're all better if there's more of (candidates) up on the stage.”
Such a theme suggests that even if Republicans do come around in supporting Trump, it may not be an immediate foregone conclusion until Republican voters have picked their nominee. This is especially if it is a crowded or contentious primary, as it very well could be.
Nevertheless, there are still key Republicans who support Trump. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who chairs the House Republican Conference and officially declared she is running for the position again, endorsed Trump.
Trump's announcement, if it does come on Tuesday, will not be the only major move from a 2024 presidential candidate.
As Kimberly Leonard wrote for Insider on Saturday, a pro-DeSantis PAC known as Ron to the Rescue will be reportedly launching before Thanksgiving, just over a week away. This is according to GOP strategist John Thomas who will be leading the efforts.
Trump has also been going after another potential 2024 primary opponent, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), although the governor, who maintains he is presently focused on Virginia, has not taken the bait.
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