The crowded race for the 2024 GOP nomination

The 2024 Republican field widens; Ukraine’s long-planned offensive against Russia could be underway.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

The 2024 GOP field is getting bigger

 Scott Olson/Getty Images

• Former Vice President Mike Pence filed paperwork to enter the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination Monday. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is expected to jump in this week, too. [Vox / Li Zhou and Nicole Narea]
• The new challengers hope to go head-to-head with frontrunner Donald Trump; his closest challenger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, trails by double digits in national polls. [New York Times / Trip Gabriel]
• Pence will officially launch his campaign on Wednesday in Iowa; a Pence presidency would likely see a return to Trump-era policies with less drama. [Associated Press / Jill Colvin]
• Meanwhile, Christie is set to announce he’s running with a likely focus on criticizing Trump. [The Hill / Caroline Vakil] 
• Party members and political strategists say a crowded field could split the anti-Trump vote and boost the former president’s chances of winning the Republican nomination as it did in 2016. [Reuters / Tim Reid]

📍 If you read just one story

Vox’s Zack Beauchamp explains why President Biden’s recent political wins might not improve his sagging poll numbers and reelection chances in 2024. [Vox / Zack Beauchamp]

Ukraine's preliminary offensive

• Monday, Ukrainian troops attacked several positions along the eastern front, in what US military officials think could be the start of an offensive against Russia. [NYT]
• Ukraine acknowledged a shift in fighting in some areas, but didn’t say if it’s beginning a long-anticipated campaign to liberate territory from Russia. [BBC / Emily McGarvey and James Waterhouse]
• Russia claims it repelled major Ukrainian attacks in the eastern Donetsk region, however, a US official said Moscow showed no signs of stopping Ukraine’s operations. [AP / Susie Blann]
• Kyiv didn’t appear to use its Western-trained and equipped assault force, meaning its new initiative could be designed to check Moscow’s preparedness before a larger offensive. [Guardian / Julian Borger and Dan Sabbagh]

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The Georgia investigation into Trump’s alleged interference in the state’s 2020 election could use a wide-ranging racketeering law to prosecute him. [Vox / Ellen Ioanes]

• Secondhand fast fashion clothing from countries including the US, UK, and China is polluting waterways in Ghana. [Guardian / Sarah Johnson]
• The US military released footage of a near collision between an American destroyer and a Chinese warship in the hotly contested Taiwan Strait. [NBC News / Patrick Smith and Courtney Kube]
• The US deployed fighter jets to intercept a plane after its unresponsive pilot flew into restricted airspace over Washington, DC. Authorities found no survivors after the plane crashed in Virginia. [Vox / Li Zhou]

“These candidates who are striving to be the alternative see DeSantis continue to stumble and fumble. And they say, ‘Well, why couldn’t that be me?’”

[Jason Miller, a senior Trump adviser, on why candidates keep entering the 2024 race / Reuters]

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