Republican 2024 field gets crowded with Mike Pence, Chris Christie to announce bids
- Mike Pence and Chris Christie are planning to announce their White House bids
- Donald Trump enjoys a solid lead in early polls for the Republican nomination
Former US vice-president Mike Pence and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie are planning to enter the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination next week in long-shot challenges to the dominance of front-runner Donald Trump.
Pence, who incurred Trump’s wrath by refusing to support his effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election, is set to enter the race against his former boss on June 7, three sources familiar with the situation told Reuters.
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum is also planning to enter race on the same day as Pence, according to a person familiar with Burgum’s plans.
The growing Republican field concerns many Trump opponents inside the Republican Party. They fear a large number of challengers will splinter the anti-Trump vote and hand the party’s nomination to the former president, who can rely on at least 30 per cent of the Republican base to back him.
Trump has a massive polling lead in a Republican field that now has more than 10 declared or almost-declared candidates. His nearest challenger is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who entered the race last week.
