Politico: “So far, at least 10 candidates with sizable net worth are seriously considering self-funded Senate campaigns in more than a half-dozen swing states — many of them at the behest of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.”

“Both parties have relied on self-funders before. But this approach has taken on increasing importance for Republicans because they failed to counter Democrats’ massive grassroots fundraising in Senate races during the past two cycles.”

Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman is exploring ways to edge Donald Trump out of the GOP presidential primary, Puck reports.

“Hoffman’s team is currently studying early voting states — party registration requirements, demographic groups, state G.O.P. nominating rules, media ecosystems, etcetera — to see where they can move the needle. And if they do inadvertently elect a President DeSantis? I’m told that Hoffman and adviser Dmitri Melhorn, at a high level, don’t view the Florida governor as an existential threat to democracy, unlike Trump, and believe he may even have the ability to successfully govern.”

Associated Press: “Pence on Tuesday called for ‘common sense and compassionate solutions’ to reform entitlement programs and the nation’s debt burden, suggesting changes to Social Security and Medicare programs hurtling toward insolvency, particularly for younger generations, without naming specific recommendations.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis, when asked about Donald Trump’s “Ron DeSantimonius” nickname for him:

“I don’t really know what it means, but I kinda like it, it’s long, it’s got a lot of vowels. We’ll go with that, that’s fine. I mean you can call me whatever you want, just as long as you also call me a winner because that’s what we’ve been able to do in Florida, is put a lot of points on the board and really take this State to the next level.”

A new Monmouth poll of Republican voters shows Donald Trump leading Ron DeSantis in a presidential primary, 41% to 27%.

Trump has made gains among nearly every voting bloc since the start of the year and is especially popular among strong MAGA supporters.

“The effort to recall Democratic New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has failed, following an official count of petition signatures released by the Louisiana governor’s office Tuesday,” the AP reports.

“Sen. Tim Scott’s preparations for a presidential run are well underway, putting the South Carolina Republican on track to be the next candidate to formally mount a White House bid,” Politico reports.

Key takeaway: “In public polling of the potential Republican presidential field, Scott is still registering in the low single digits. But Scott, a prolific fundraiser popular with both the donor class and with small-dollar contributors, is the only prospective presidential candidate sitting on more than $20 million in hard federal campaign dollars.”

Playbook: “Scott’s working to carve out a lane with evangelical Christians, embracing a much calmer and optimistic style than other notable hopefuls and candidates. Whether it actually works in a party where Trump’s brand of politics has been dominant remains to be seen.”

Donald Trump took to Truth Social to say it would be unfair if Gov. Ron DeSantis were attacked for grooming young girls or being gay.

NBC News: “Trump’s post didn’t leave much to the imagination: It included a picture of a man, allegedly a younger DeSantis, standing with a group of young women, one of whom is holding a bottle.”

“It does make the conversation of the primary all about Trump, which is a good dynamic he had going for him in 2016, everyone being asked to react to Trump. We’re right now fighting a primary so all that matters is the party, and we can deal with the general after…”

— A GOP operative, quoted by the Washington Post, on the impact of Donald Trump being indicted.