Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis will officially enter the 2024 U.S. presidential race next week, according to two sources familiar with the decision, immediately becoming Donald Trump's biggest rival for the Republican nomination and shaking up a contest that largely has been one-sided.
DeSantis will likely file paperwork declaring his candidacy on May 25 to coincide with a donor meeting in Miami, with a more formal launch the week of May 29, according to a source.
The invitation for the May 25 event stated that donors would be put to "work," an apparent allusion to raising money for DeSantis, according to a source familiar with the event.Representatives for DeSantis did not immediately return a request for comment.Former U.S. President Trump has in recent weeks stepped up his political attacks on the Florida governor and maintains a commanding lead in the 2024 Republican primary, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.DeSantis’ insistence on staying out of the race until the Florida legislature completed its spring session earlier this month rattled some high-profile Republican donors who had wanted him to jump in sooner rather than later to rebut Trump.
Those attacks have taken a toll on DeSantis’ standing in national polls. But DeSantis and his advisers hoped to use the legislature’s session as a springboard to a campaign announcement and have stayed true to their timetable.
