The Guardian view on the Republican primary: leader of the unappetising pack | Editorial

The candidates proliferate - but Donald Trump, running both as former president and insurgent, is far ahead of them

Donald Trump has an excess of companions in the race for the Republican nomination for 2024, but a paucity of rivals. The quantity of candidates in the presidential primary so far appears in inverse relationship to the threat they pose to him. The main question prompted by several recent declarees is not how they might win or what they might offer, but simply why?" (Mike Pence, Chris Christie), or even who?" (Perry Johnson).

No one can predict what will happen in this race, and upsets do happen. Large fields and long shots positioning politicians for a future bid or the vice-presidential slot on the ticket are nothing new in primaries. Nor are improbable, often self-funded entrants. But the current flurry of activity - Mr Pence, former New Jersey governor Mr Christie and North Dakota's governor Doug Burgum all announced runs this week - seems to be prompted less by the belief that Mr Trump is beatable than by the belief that Ron DeSantis isn't the man to beat him. The Florida governor surged in polls after winning by a landslide in the midterms, while Trump-backed candidates fell short. It did not last.