Republican former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Tuesday on Fox News that GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis failed to “fill the vacuum” left by former President Donald Trump.
DeSantis is expected to announce his candidacy for the 2024 race this week, while Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is considering a bid for the Republican nomination as well, according to Axios. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott launched his own presidential campaign on Monday.
Fox’s Dana Perino asked Gingrich for his reaction. (RELATED: Joy Behar Lectures Tim Scott, Clarence Thomas On Racism, Says They Don’t Understand It)
“Can we get your thoughts about Tim Scott’s announcement, but also what Alexandria Hoff just reported on: not only do we have Ron DeSantis likely to get in the race this week but Glenn Youngkin says he might get in too?” Perino asked.
“It’s partly a function of DeSantis having failed to fill the vacuum, there was a large vacuum of non-Trump Republicans. Trump keeps gaining and strengthening, the latest poll today has him at 61% in the Republican primary, which is astonishing. But at the same time, DeSantis didn’t prove capable of reaching out to all the different elements of the party. So you now have more and more people who say, ‘Hey, I could be a competitor.’ And Tim Scott is a terrific person.”
Scott announced his presidential bid Monday in Charleston, South Carolina, criticizing President Joe Biden on the economy, national security and education.
Former Republican Florida Rep. David Jolly claimed Monday that Scott’s bid showed the “fundamental weakness” of DeSantis’ expected candidacy.
“The more candidates that get in, the stronger the hold that Donald Trump has,” Jolly said on MSNBC.