- GOP Miami Mayor Francis Suarez officially joins the race for president in the 2024 elections
- Suarez becomes the first Hispanic to join the race and claims that he can broaden the appeal of the Republican Party nationally
- The mayor's announcement comes a day after former United States President Donald Trump's arraignment in Miami
Republican Miami Mayor Francis Suarez officially announces that he is running for president in the 2024 elections, becoming the first Hispanic to join the race alongside other high-profile GOP members.
The 45-year-old GOP member filed the official federal paperwork on Wednesday, just a day after former United States President Donald Trump's arraignment in downtown Miami. It was on charges related to his handling of classified documents that were taken from the White House to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Francis Suarez Announces Presidential Run
The Miami mayor joins Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a candidate from the state, a once battleground region that has increasingly become more GOP. As per Politico, Miami voters elected Suarez twice in what is considered one of the most important political areas in the United States' third-largest state.
Suarez is the mayor of Miami, a municipality of roughly 450,000 people within Miami-Dade County. The region is home to more than 2.5 million people whose mayor is Daniella Levine Cava.
The Miami mayor has long touted the city's low crime rate and economic successes as proof of his achievements. However, lately, he has faced various reports regarding a developer who allegedly hired him to secure permits related to a stalled real estate project. At the same time, the developer in question was trying to win approval for a city project.
Furthermore, Suarez needs to address whether or not he can raise sufficient funds from his supporters to qualify for Republican debates scheduled later this summer. His attempts could be affected by his acknowledgment that he did not vote for Trump in either 2016 or 2020.
Making the Major Announcement
The Miami Republican will speak on Thursday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Over the weekend, he noted that he would make a "major announcement" in the following weeks, according to CNN.
Before Suarez's filing, a super PAC that supported the Miami mayor released a two-minute video on Wednesday where they touted his city leadership. The narrator of the footage said that the conservative mayor had chosen a better path for Miami.
Before former President Trump arrived at the Miami courthouse on Tuesday, Suarez toured the media encampment wearing a shirt with a police logo. This was mainly due to his city's police force's jurisdiction over the downtown area.
In a statement, Suarez said before the official announcement that if he decided to run for president, it would be like starting a new chapter or conversation. He said he would be a leader who "looks a little different" and "speaks a little different" than those who came before, said the Associated Press.
