Florida Governor Ron Decantis officially entered the 2024 presidential race on Wednesday. Tonight, DeSantis is expected to publicly announce the launch of his campaign during a live chat with billionaire Elon Musk, which will be streamed on Twitter.
Desantis, 44, filed documents with the Federal Election Commission announcing his candidacy. His long-awaited entry into the race will change the dynamics of the Republican primary as DeSantis is likely to become former President Donald Trump’s toughest challenger.
Musk, CEO of Tesla and owner of Twitter, on which he has 140 million followers, said his appearance on today’s show does not signify support for DeSantis’ candidacy, but rather reflects the will of Musk to make Twitter more democratic.
The Twitter event will begin at 6:00 p.m. ET.
DeSantis is also meeting in Miami on Wednesday with his top donors, where they will immediately begin fundraising efforts for the campaign.
DeSantis’ main argument in favor of his candidacy will likely be that he is the only Republican who can defeat Biden.
“We have to let go of the culture of defeat that has plagued our party in recent years. The time for apologies is over,” DeSantis said at an event in Iowa earlier this month.
In the weeks leading up to his presidential bid, DeSantis traveled the country, visiting states such as Iowa and New Hampshire, which will host Republican primaries. He takes credit for his track record as governor of Florida, including disputes with the federal government over pandemic policy.
The special political action committee supporting Trump, MAGA Inc, has already spent more than $14 million on campaign videos attacking DeSantis, according to the Federal Election Commission.
DeSantis’ allies are also spending money promoting his candidacy. According to AdImpact, the ad-tracking firm that backs DeSantis, a special political action committee bought $1.4 million worth of ads that aired between May 5 and May 19.
DeSantis and his advisers decided to wait to enter the race until the Florida legislature could offer him a string of political victories.
The Governor signed measures that severely restricted abortions in the state, made it easier for residents to carry concealed weapons, expanded the voucher program to allow students to attend private schools, and cut funding for inclusive programs in state schools. public universities.
DeSantis is still in an uphill battle with Walt Disney Co over the company’s criticism of laws banning the teaching of gender identity concepts in public schools. The company filed a federal lawsuit accusing DeSantis of using the state government as a weapon to punish Walt Disney for his activities.
Other Republican candidates include former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and South Carolina senator Tim Scott.
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