Republican presidential candidates

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina says conservatives are "starved for hope," as he tries to present a more positive vision for the future than his potential rivals for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. Scott told The Associated Press on Wednesday that voters he has spoken with respond favorably to his optimistic outlook for the country and his conservative ideals. He announced earlier Wednesday that he would be forming an exploratory committee for president. Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, was in Iowa on Wednesday for a day of political meetings with with evangelical pastors and Christian home-school parents, both subsets of the leadoff Iowa caucuses' influential Christian conservative base.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to make his first public appearance in South Carolina, a state where votes will be critical if he launches an expected 2024 presidential bid. State Sen. Josh Kimbrell tells The Associated Press that he will host DeSantis for an event April 19 in Spartanburg. DeSantis has undertaken a brisk travel schedule in recent weeks as he promotes his "Florida Blueprint" tour to Pennsylvania, New York and Michigan. The travel allows DeSantis to lay out some of his policy achievements in Florida, setting up possible contrasts with potential rivals, including former President Donald Trump.

The candidates vying against former President Donald Trump for the White House in 2024 are battling for air time and media attention this week. The GOP front-runner's indictment and arraignment is dominating headlines. Still, some are trying. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson used the historic moment to announce his own 2024 Republican presidential campaign. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley visited the U.S.-Mexico border to highlight the need for immigration reform. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a trip to Ukraine to underline the importance of support for the U.S. ally.

Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is inching ever closer to a presidential bid in 2024, scheduling his latest swing through early-voting states before returning to home afterward to give a "political update" to donors. According to an invitation sent to donors this week, Scott will hold a "Faith in America Summit" in Charleston on April 14. A person familiar with his plans said he will hold events in Iowa and New Hampshire earlier the same week.

Since launching her 2024 presidential bid, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley hasn't revealed how much money her campaign has taken in. Her campaign tells The Associated Press that it has been "enormously pleased with our initial fundraising" but will wait until the April 15 deadline to report a figure for the first quarter of the year. That's raising some eyebrows.

Nikki Haley made a subtle reference to the historic nature of her candidacy as she announced her campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. The former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said in a video that she doesn't put up with bullies. She added that "when you kick back, it hurts them more if you're wearing heels." The introduction captured the balancing act women — particularly conservative women — often navigate as they aspire to win the top job in American politics. They must show toughness to prove they can compete against rivals who are almost always men for a job that has only been held by men.

Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, announced her candidacy for president on Tuesday. She becomes the first major challenger to former President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination. The announcement, delivered in a video, marks an about-face for the ex-Trump Cabinet official, who said two years ago that she wouldn't challenge her former boss for the White House in 2024. But she changed her mind in recent months, citing, among other things, the country's economic troubles and the need for "generational change," a nod to the 76-year-old Trump's age.