Presidential waiting game: GOP hopefuls hold off campaigns

By MICHELLE L. PRICE
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — At this point during the last presidential election in 2020, more than 15 Democrats had jumped into their party’s open presidential race. But this year, the open Republican field for 2024 still officially remains small — and dominated by former President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, more than half a dozen potential Republican presidential hopefuls are testing the waters of a national campaign while holding off on making any official announcements. Political strategists say most of them don’t have much more time to wait if they want a shot to win the party’s nomination. The only three major candidates to have officially come forward are Trump, former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.