The Spire

Sean Rego ’26

Opinions Editor

Being Trump’s right hand man is no easy position. Perhaps no one will ever know that difficulty as well as Mike Pence. Although it seems like ages ago, I still remember the time when the former vice president was the heir presumptive to be the next Republican president. I remember him being the traditional, evangelical counterweight to the bombastic business figure that became the 45th President of the United States. It is crazy to see how much has changed. 

On October 28th, Vice President Pence dropped out of the race for the GOP nomination, standing at a respectable (albeit small) average of 3.8% in the polls. This is in the face of the unquestionable and enormous lead Donald Trump holds over all other contenders. The fact is that Vice President Pence knows that the nomination is nowhere near his grasp. To be honest, I have a suspicion that he knew he’d never be president the same day he certified the election on January 6th. In that decisive task, Pence lost any admiration from Trump, for which the former paid dearly, as is currently shown. 

But now with Pence out of the race, the question arises: what about the others? Who will (or perhaps should) drop out? More importantly, who still stands a chance against the seemingly indomitable force of Donald Trump? 

It’s no secret that Ron DeSantis’s campaign has been rocky at best and a complete screw up at worst. This time last year, the Governor of Florida was looking as if he’d be not only the GOP nominee, but the next president. However, what DeSantis was able to do in Florida hasn’t seemed to win over the rest of the country, as he currently sits at around 15% in the polls (dozens of points behind Trump). I don’t think it’s necessarily because he is disliked by the GOP or Americans in general, though. Afterall, we can’t forget that he won over Republicans, Independents and Democrats in 2022, which equated to a historical political landslide statewide. No, I think he dislikes lies more so in his contrast to Trump. Although they are quite similar on paper, Trump made sure to vilify DeSantis in his own special way. Even before announcing his bid, Ron “DeSanctimonious” became widely known. Along with DeSantis’s rather awkward smile, Trump’s ability to paint the Governor as a ridiculous danger to Republicans is what has left such a bad aftertaste for conservatives. Yet I do not think DeSantis is next on the chopping block, for he has simply put too much at stake. It wouldn’t do for him to fade into national irrelevance, not yet anyhow. In the same way he pulled a miraculous victory in Florida, he may well surprise us with a comeback, as unlikely as it may be.

Then there is Nikki Haley, who has given (in my opinion) the most impressive performance of all the contenders. The former UN Ambassador is sharp on policy and sharper in debate. She’s more neoconservative and less Trump-like than others, but that could be just what the GOP needs if it wants to draw all sides to the table. Steadily moving up the polls, currently at 8%, it would be woefully imprudent for Ambassador Haley to leave the race now. 

Truly, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley are the only two real contenders against Donald Trump. The rest seem to be currently hanging in for reasons that are either strategic or blindly hopeless. Take Vivek Ramaswamy for example. He is a successful entrepreneur who aligns himself to Trump and has built a name and substantial support base. This man, once unbeknownst, now is a commonplace GOP name, which is quite an impressive feat. That being said, does anyone really see him surpassing Trump and DeSantis? Mr. Ramaswamy is an excellent speaker, but he doesn’t have much experience to back his rhetoric. He talks of many grand changes, but with very few ways to implement them. He speaks as if he is a minister for propaganda. It’s for this that I and many others sense that Vivek Ramaswamy isn’t looking for the presidency. I think that for him, this is more of a convenient way to get name recognition and to curry favor with the frontrunner, Donald Trump. Both of those things lead me to believe that 2024 was just a successful testing ground for young Vivek, in which his campaign is almost done. 

Further down the list lies very little hope for victory. Chris Christie, although popular with the centrist and anti-Trump wing of the party, will not be boosting in the polls. Unlike Mr. Ramaswamy, his day seems to have been long ago, in the 2010s. Although he’s had some good comebacks, he seems to be solely on a personal vendetta against Trump and MAGA Republicanism, an action I simply don’t see him winning. In terms of consolidation around someone other than Trump, the best thing Chris Christie can do is to make way for others and leave the race. 

Tim Scott had potential, but clearly has been outshined by his South Carolinian rival, Ambassador Haley. Senator Scott polls at around 2%, and while he might have some pull in early states, does he really believe that, at this moment, he has the stamina to outpace other candidates? Indeed, Tim Scott would do best to pull out now, make way for others, and save face before the race reaches its death throes. 

As for the rest, they are quite honestly not worth discussing. Ultimately, Mike Pence’s retreat from the race was the first step in what the GOP can hope will be a consolidation of the race. If and when Tim Scott, Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy have had their fun and drop out, then just maybe voters can coalesce around either DeSantis or Haley, and rival Trump all in time for the primaries. From there, further eliminations can be made. 

It’s interesting to see the development all these GOP candidates have made. Pence’s lost cause, DeSantis’s blunders, Haley’s growing independence, Vivek’s surprising rise; they all have had their missions. Unfortunately for them, so does the omnipresent Donald Trump. It remains to be seen if his victory in the primaries is all but assured, or just maybe if a proper challenger can yet arise. 

Featured image courtesy of The Boston Globe.