Ron DeSantis plans to formally enter the 2024 presidential race next week
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Ron DeSantis plans to formally enter the 2024 presidential race next week
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W ASHINGTON - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is moving forward with plans to formally announce his 2024 presidential campaign by the end of the month, setting up a an intense Republican battle with Donald Trump .
The Florida governor plans to file paperwork with the Federal Election Commission next week in connection with a May 25 meeting with donors in Miami, said two Republicans familiar with the rollout.
DeSantis plans a public speech and announcement the next week, sources said, perhaps in the Tampa area near his home town of Dunedin, Fla.
Precise details of the rollout are still being worked out, and things could get moved up or back, a source said.
On Friday, DeSantis is scheduled to meet with a group of Republican lawmakers in New Hampshire, which is expected to host the first primary of the 2024 nomination calendar.
DeSantis has been hinting at a presidential run for months and would formally enter the race at a time when he has become something of an underdog.
Trump currently enjoys fairly big leads in polls for the Republican presidential nomination, despite his indictment in New York City on falsifying business charges and a civil jury decision finding him liable of sexual abuse to writer E. Jean Carroll.
In planning the rollout, CNN citing two anonymous Republican sources familiar with the matter, noted that one of its sources "cautioned that the planning remains a moving target and DeSantis is known to surprise even his closest allies with last-minute changes."
The Washington Post and Reuters also cited two anonymous sources to report DeSantis will move forward next week.
In a conference call Thursday with members of a pro-DeSantis political action committee called Never Back Down, the Florida governor sounded very much like a presidential candidate.
DeSantis told backers there are only three credible White House contenders at this point - himself, Trump, and President Joe Biden - and that he is the only one capable of defeating the Democratic incumbent.
"Two (candidates) have a chance to get elected president - Biden and me, based on all the data in the swing states," DeSantis said, according to the New York Times.
DeSantis and Trump will have plenty of company in the chase for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is already campaigning. Current South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott is scheduled to announce his 2024 candidacy on Monday.
Former Trump Vice President Mike Pence is expected to make a 2024 announcement next month. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also say they are mulling presidential bids.
CBS News reported that there may also be a dark horse entrant: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
A former congressman who won a Florida governor's race in 2018, DeSantis built a Republican-heavy political reputation by fighting so-called "woke culture," resisting COVID restrictions, reducing government regulations, and generally promoting a Trump-like agenda.
"In Florida, our higher education institutions will not be spending public dollars on “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” or other initiatives that promote an ideological agenda," DeSantis tweeted earlier this week.
For nearly a year, DeSantis has given every indication of planning to run for president, from taking a foreign trip to promoting a legislative agenda that looks much like a 2024 Republican Party platform.
DeSantis' formal filing would come at the end of a Florida legislative session in which the governor targeted DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) programs in schools and businesses.
DeSantis is also embroiled in a legal battle with his state's most prominent employer, Disney . It sued the governor over his attempts to remove the company's special tax district, claiming he wants to punish them for opposing an anti-gay bill.
Many Republicans promoted DeSantis' presidential prospects last year, as he rolled up a landslide re-election bid in Florida that carried the state by more than 19 percentage points.
As DeSantis' poll numbers rose, Trump and his allies escalated their attacks.
Trump frequently accused DeSantis of neglecting his job as governor while planning to run for the presidency. DeSantis recently signed a bill changing the state's "resign to run" law to allow him to keep his job as governor while running for president.
In a recent Truth Social post, Trump predicted that DeSantis' campaign would crash and burn.
"A really bad politician," Trump said. "Enjoy the trip, Ron!"
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I'm waiting for that upcoming special day when Trump calls DeSantis wife a dog and says DeSantis father tried to assassinate Ronald Reagan.
Well there he goes. Will he burn a copy of 'Maus' to prove he's for real?
I give DeSantis about a 10% chance of getting the GOP nomination. The truth is , every MAGA who thinks Trump is unelectable is probably already in DeSantis camp, and he's still trailing by 30 points. In order to pass Trump at this point he will have to convince about half of Trump's supporters that Trump is a piece of shit. Knowing Trump supporters like we do, that aint happening.
DeSantis 'smells' what Disney is cookin!
Theoretical Immovable force meets theoretical irresistible force. DeSantis: The jobs killer is about to announce his run for the presidency!