DeSantis, 44, submitted a document to the Federal Election Commission announcing his candidacy.
In a video clip he posted to his Twitter account, DeSantis said, “I’m running for president to lead the Great American Comeback.”
His long-awaited bid changes the shape of the competition for the Republican nomination as he is likely to be former President Donald Trump’s biggest challenger.
The party’s candidate will face Chairman Joe Biden of the Democratic Party in the general election to be held in November 2024.
On Wednesday, DeSantis said he would hold a meeting with his campaign’s top financiers at a Miami hotel where they would immediately kick off his campaign fundraising efforts.
DeSantis’ main argument for running is likely that he’s the only Republican capable of defeating Biden, who beat Trump in the 2020 election.
“We must reject the culture of loss that has plagued our party for the past few years. The time for apologies is over,” DeSantis said at an event in Iowa earlier this month.
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