We’re about six months away from the first G.O.P. primary debate and the jockeying and positioning within the 2024 field feels a little stunted. The counting of the first ballots is less than one year away. So in what is fast becoming a weekly tradition around here, I reached out to my partner Peter Hamby to discuss the different considerations for each candidate about when to enter the race, their emerging strategic lanes, and how the much-anticipated Trump–DeSantis slugfest factors into it all. Plus, how DeSantis’s former staffers could be a boon to Trump and how Biden’s student loan relief struggles may affect his reelect. 

Tara: This already feels like the longest primary ever, especially since it started after the midterms with Trump’s announcement, and yet it has barely even begun! As I’ve noted recently, I’m also hearing that Glenn Youngkin, Chris Sununu, Chris Christie, and Rick Scott are all exploring this idea of a late entry in the 2024 Republican primary, perhaps in summer or even early fall, ostensibly after Trump and DeSantis have had their way with each other. Do you think that’s a viable option?