On Wednesday, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez filed federal paperwork to join the 2024 presidential race. He announced his candidacy on Good Morning America on Thursday.
Suarez is the first Hispanic candidate to join the crowded GOP field.
He joins fellow Republican candidates Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Florida) as a Florida native.
When asked by Politico why he wanted to run for president, Suarez said, “Because I think I can grow the tent — not for an election, but for a generation. I think it matters who is the communicator of ideas and how they communicate those ideas. You can look at my history and know that I’m someone who’s a unifier. You can look at my history and see that I’m someone who appreciated the nuances in a variety of different Hispanic cultures.”
Miami voters have twice elected Suarez, who has successfully lowered the city’s crime rate and boosted its economic success since taking office.
Perhaps the biggest challenge that Suarez will face as the election cycle continues is gaining the financial support necessary to qualify for Republican debates scheduled for later in the summer. However, he already has his own super PAC, SOS America, which vowed to spend $100,000 on digital ads in New Hampshire, Nevada and Iowa.
“America needs conservative Mayor Francis Suarez for President,” said SOS America PAC spokesperson Chapin Fay. “As our nation faces anti-police and pro-crime Democratic leadership… the achievements of first-generation American Mayor Suarez underscore the need for immediate nationwide adoption of his approach.”
Questions may also be raised about Suarez’s voting history, as he did not vote for Trump in the 2016 or 2020 elections. Conservatives could view this as anti-GOP behavior, despite the mayor’s recent flattery of Trump, who was indicted last week on 37 counts for mishandling classified documents.
Democrats have already started honing in on Suarez’s connection to Trump, as he recently stated that all GOP candidates should pledge to support the former president if he is the party nominee.
“Francis Suarez is yet another contender in the race for the M.A.G.A base… he has used his position to benefit himself, prioritize pay raise for himself… all while ignoring the biggest challenges facing the people he was elected to serve,” said Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison.
Suarez’s first public appearance as a candidate in the election is scheduled for Thursday night at the Regan Library in California.
