Mike Pence, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis: Who are the Republican Party presidential candidates?

Former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are expected to join the race for the Republican presidential nomination this week. Both are considered long shots, as former President Donald Trump continues to have a commanding lead at the polls.

Christie, who worked for Trump’s 2016 campaign, will announce his bid on June 6, while Pence, who has had a growing rift with his former boss, is expected to declare on June 7, according to Reuters.

DeSantis declares

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who ranks second in the polls, launched his campaign for the US presidency last week through an announcement on Twitter that was bogged down by technical glitches.

Former President Donald Trump was quick to criticize the launch on Truth Social. He had already been bashing the Florida Governor on his social media platform, referring to him as “Rob DeSanctimonious” and “Ron DeSanctus”.

READ ALSO: Ron DeSantis faces a hard slog in presidential bid

Wide Republican field

DeSantis, Pence, and Christie face an uphill battle against Trump, but the former President is not the only opponent they face.

Here are the other Republican aspirants who have formally declared their bid for the party’s nomination.

Nikki Haley

Haley began her political career in 2004 when she was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives. In 2011, she became the first female governor of the state, then Trump appointed her ambassador to the United Nations in 2017.

Ryan Binkley

Binkley is a businessman from Texas who founded Create Church, where he serves as a non-denominational pastor. He is a first-time candidate who is calling on US leaders to “trust God and each other again.”

Larry Elder

Elder is a conservative radio host, whose program, “The Larry Elder Show”, has been on the air since the 1990s. The media personality has never held elective office. He unsuccessfully campaigned to replace California Governor Gavin Newsom in a recall effort in 2021.

Asa Hutchinson

Hutchinson was elected Governor of Arkansas twice and was also a congressman. Aside from his elective positions, he also served under the administration of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.

Perry Johnson

Johnson is a businessman who has written several books on international quality control. He bid for the Republican nomination for Michigan governor last year, but failed to qualify for the primary ballot.

Vivek Ramaswamy

Ramaswamy is a biotechnology and health care entrepreneur. Like DeSantis, he is also vocal about opposing “wokeness”, and authored a book entitled “Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam”.

Tim Scott

Scott is a South Carolina senator, the only Black Republican in the US Senate. He was also elected to the US House of Representatives. He made history as the first Black American to serve in both the House and the Senate.