Miami GOP Mayor Francis Suarez jumps into presidential race
Miami GOP Mayor Francis Suarez filed federal paperwork Wednesday to join the crowded Republican field for president, becoming the third candidate from Florida running for the GOP nomination.
Suarez becomes the first Hispanic candidate to jump into the 2024 race.
Voters have elected Suarez, 45, twice in Miami, which is one of the most important areas politically in the nation’s third-largest state. But he’s running against two very well-known Floridians: Former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Another looming problem for Suarez is whether he can raise enough money from enough supporters to qualify for Republican debates scheduled to be held later this summer. Suarez also could be hampered by his acknowledgement that he did not vote for Trump in either the 2016 or 2020 election.
Suarez is scheduled to speak at the Reagan Library in California on Thursday night.