Ron DeSantis set to announce presidential campaign, formalizing Trump rivalry
CTV
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, an outspoken cultural conservative long seen as Donald Trump's leading rival for the Republican nomination, is set to launch his 2024 U.S. presidential campaign on Wednesday.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, an outspoken cultural conservative long seen as Donald Trump's leading rival for the Republican nomination, is set to launch his 2024 presidential campaign Wednesday evening.
The 44-year-old Republican governor planned to announce his decision in an online conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Musk, according to two people with knowledge of the decision. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the announcement publicly.
DeSantis' path to the nomination will not be an easy one.
He enters the race looking up at Trump in early polls while facing serious questions about his far-right policies, his campaign-trail personality and his lack of relationships across the Republican ecosystem. Still, the combative conservative governor has generated significant interest among GOP primary voters by casting himself as a younger and more electable version of the embattled former president.
DeSantis' audio-only announcement was to be streamed on Twitter Spaces beginning at 6 p.m. EDT. He was following up with prime-time appearances on conservative programs, including Fox News and Mark Levin's radio show.
He gave no hint as to his plans during a meeting of the state clemency board in Tallahassee on Wednesday, where he granted several pardons to former prisoners charged mostly with drug-related crimes decades ago.
"You are what the country needs," one man said after getting his pardon.
