According to two individuals familiar with the decision, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis will formally enter the 2024 U.S. presidential election next week, becoming Donald Trump’s main competitor for the Republican nomination and shaking up a mainly one-sided race.
According to a source, DeSantis will likely file papers announcing his candidacy on May 25 to coincide with a donor gathering in Miami, followed by a more formal launch the week of May 29.
According to a person familiar with the event, the invitation for the May 25 dinner suggested that contributors will be put to “work,” an apparent allusion to generating funds for DeSantis.
DeSantis’ representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to a new Reuters/Ipsos survey, former U.S. President Trump has increased his political assaults on Florida Governor Rick Scott in recent weeks and retains a commanding lead in the Republican primary for 2024.
DeSantis’ refusal to enter the campaign until the Florida legislature finished its spring session earlier this month irritated several high-profile Republican donors who wanted him to enter the race sooner rather than later to counter Trump.
These assaults have hurt Ron DeSantis’ position in national surveys. However, DeSantis and his aides wanted to use the legislature’s session as a catapult to a campaign launch and have remained on schedule.
Republican lawmakers have handed DeSantis a slew of conservative victories in recent months, including expanding the state’s school voucher program, prohibiting the use of public funds in sustainable investing efforts, eliminating diversity programs at public universities, allowing permitless carry of concealed weapons, and, perhaps most notably, outlawing almost all abortions in the state.
Ron DeSantis has received assistance in preparing for his run. Never Back Down, a new political action committee backing him, has started recruiting personnel in early voting areas and running TV advertising supporting DeSantis and criticizing Trump.
Ron DeSantis, 44, was re-elected governor last year, defeating his Democratic opponent by nearly 20 points.
Check also: Montana will be the first state in the United States to ban TikTok
