Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Joins Presidential Race, Taking On Trump For GOP Nomination

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On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the launch of his 2024 presidential campaign, putting the Republican contender in direct competition with former President Donald Trump for the GOP nomination.

DeSantis had planned to personally announce his candidacy during a Twitter Spaces conversation with Elon Musk on Wednesday evening.

Still, the plan was thwarted when the site crashed frequently and experienced numerous other significant difficulties—on the call with DeSantis and Musk, investor David Sacks blamed server troubles on the 500,000 or so individuals who signed on to listen. Musk then launched a new Twitter Spaces in which DeSantis announced his presidential campaign.

At its height, that second stream had over 300,000 listeners – significantly below the usual primetime viewership for most cable news networks, even those that have lately experienced a rating decrease.

DeSantis’ press secretary Bryan Griffin claimed in a tweet that the glitch-filled rollout demonstrated the candidate’s high enthusiasm after the life finished. He went on to say that the campaign had raised $1 million in one hour online.

DeSantis was scheduled to speak on Fox News at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. DeSantis slammed Democratic policies on immigration, crime, and education, echoing Trump and his fellow Republicans.

“I’m running for President to lead our great American comeback,” he announced.

Meanwhile, DeSantis officially launched his campaign on Wednesday and signed a bill that makes it easier to run for president by amending Florida’s so-called resign-to-run statute.

The long-awaited announcement results from years of speculation around DeSantis, 44, whose opposition to Covid-era lockdown rules and willingness to participate in divisive cultural battles have swiftly made him a Republican.

It also formalizes DeSantis’ simmering feud with Trump, burying their once-close friendship as other Republicans seek to replace Trump as their party’s standard bearer.

Trump has been relentlessly attacking the governor for months. Trump and his supporters have criticized DeSantis’ record, political ability, and demeanor while exaggerating negative news about the governor.

One pro-Trump super PAC even ran an ad picturing DeSantis eating pudding with his fingers, something the governor has disputed.

Trump’s bravado may have paid off. Polls of the prospective primary field have regularly shown DeSantis, formerly Trump’s main rival, losing pace for months, even as the governor traveled key battlegrounds and scored legislative victories with his state’s GOP-controlled legislature.

In a hypothetical primary field contest, Republican and GOP-leaning voters selected Trump over DeSantis by more than a two-to-one ratio, 56% to 25%, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released earlier Wednesday. That finding showed Trump maintaining his lead and DeSantis losing momentum from the previous Quinnipiac poll in late March.

You can see the post shared by the CNN Breaking News Twitter account. You can also find more information about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s files to run for president in 2024 by reading the below tweet:-

A Long-Expected Campaign

The move came as little surprise: DeSantis has been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2024 even before the 2020 election cycle ended.

While the governor has remained relatively silent about his presidential ambitions, he has recently authored a political book, hosted events for donors and conservative groups, embarked on a multi-state speaking tour, and issued campaign-style ads promoting his achievements in Florida.

Meanwhile, his supporters have been working hard to construct a well-funded political operation that has served as a de facto campaign for the governor’s upcoming presidential bid.

Former Trump administration official Ken Cuccinelli formed the super PAC Never Back Down, which has already gathered tens of millions of dollars to encourage DeSantis to run for president. A person acquainted with the group’s activities expects to work with an overall operating budget of at least $200 million.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Joins Presidential Race, Taking On Trump For GOP Nomination

First reported by The New York Times, this sum could include more than $80 million that DeSantis supporters are anticipated to try to transfer from the governor’s previous state-level political organization. This controversial move has divided campaign finance experts.

DeSantis, a Yale and Harvard-educated lawyer, was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2012 and became a founding member of the hardline Freedom Caucus before resigning to run for governor of Florida in 2018.

Trump endorsed DeSantis in that gubernatorial contest, giving him a boost in the polls and prompting him to air an ad in which his family embraces a variety of Trump’s political mantras and catchphrases.

DeSantis’ closeness to Trump extended beyond his rhetoric, with detractors observing that the governor’s body language and hand gestures sometimes resembled Trump’s.

DeSantis won the Republican primary and defeated Democrat Andrew Gillum in the general election.

Stark Divisions

DeSantis’ populist rhetoric and concentration on divisive social issues earned him a national reputation as governor.

During the coronavirus outbreak, DeSantis moved more quickly than other states to eliminate public health-related lockdown restrictions, claiming that the closures harmed Florida’s economy.

These and other initiatives, which corresponded with an inflow of new immigrants to the state, raised the ire of health experts and local leaders, mainly when Covid cases later surged.

DeSantis recently sparked controversy by transporting planeloads of migrants to the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard to protest President Joe Biden’s border policies.

Meanwhile, his backing for a contentious bill banning discussion of s*x and gender in public schools, branded “Don’t Say G@y” by detractors, has turned into a year-long feud with Disney.

Disney, one of Florida’s major employers, opposed the law, arguing that its ambiguous language could target and marginalize LGBTQ instructors and students.

In response to Disney’s complaints, DeSantis and his allies targeted Walt Disney World’s long-held special tax district, pledging to dismantle the “corporate kingdom.”

Disney has already filed a federal lawsuit against DeSantis and others, accusing the governor of coordinating a campaign of political revenge against the firm.

DeSantis also had a significant pre-presidential boost from Republican supermajorities in the Florida Legislature, which raced to implement the governor’s sweeping agenda and cleared the way for him to run for president.

DeSantis has signed reams of new legislation in recent weeks, enhancing his carefully manufactured image as a get-things-done conservative fighter.

He signed legislation restricting ab0rtion, loosening limits on carrying concealed guns, expanding his state’s school voucher system, limiting ESG investing, and prohibiting public colleges from spending cash on diversity programs, among other things.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a prominent anti-ab0rtion group, lauded DeSantis in a statement Wednesday afternoon but did not wholly endorse his campaign.

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The governor has transformed Florida “from a late-term abortion haven to one of the best states in the nation for unborn children and mothers.” “As the primary campaign progresses, we look forward to DeSantis and all candidates further outlining their pro-life vision and platform.”

DeSantis’ opposition to Covid safety guidelines and his perceived left-wing political adversaries were amply rewarded in a state where the population is increasing but Democratic registration is declining.

In Florida’s 2022 gubernatorial election, he defeated his Democratic opponent, former Rep. Charlie Crist, by over 20 percentage points.

This time, he achieved it with almost no assistance from Trump.

Trump’s opinion of DeSantis has deteriorated as his popularity has grown. Shortly after the November midterm elections, Trump lashed out at “Ron DeSanctimonious,” one of several wacky nicknames for DeSantis, including “Ron DeSanctus” and, allegedly, reportedly “Meatball Ron.”

Trump has been harmed by his loss to Biden, the consequences of the Capitol incident on Jan. 6, 2021, and the underperformance of many of his preferred candidates in the midterm elections.

Despite those wounds — and his mounting legal difficulties, including his arrest in a Manhattan hush money case and being found liable for s*xual abuse and defamation in another case — Trump is the Republican Party’s current front-runner for the presidency in 2024.

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