Just hours before the announcement, DeSantis had filed the necessary documents with the Federal Election Commission. The corresponding documents were available on the website of the US Federal Election Authority FEC on Wednesday. The candidacy of the right-wing hard-liner had been expected for a long time.
The 44-year-old politician, considered former President Donald Trump’s most dangerous internal rival in the race for the Republican presidential candidacy, then published a first campaign video.
Trump had already announced in November that he would enter the race for the presidential candidacy for the 2024 elections. DeSantis has been governor of the state of Florida, in the southern United States, since the beginning of 2019.
He was confirmed in office in November 2022 with a strong result – which also strengthened his position in view of his aspirations for higher things. Before the father of three made a career as a politician, he attended the elite universities of Yale and Harvard, was in the Navy and served in Iraq. Prior to his gubernatorial election, DeSantis served several years as a representative in the House of Representatives.
Wife posts pathetic video
DeSantis’ wife, Casey, released a video Tuesday night that clearly alluded to the upcoming announcement. With the pathos of a Hollywood movie, the politician appears from behind a large stage with an American flag draped behind him.
To the applause of an unseen audience, a voice adds: “They call it faith because in the face of darkness one can see a brighter future. The belief that our best days are ahead of us.” In the video, DeSantis takes a deep breath and purposefully walks towards a curtain. As he opens and seemingly walks onto the stage, the video ends.
Trump already on the campaign trail
DeSantis has long been considered Trump’s party’s biggest internal competitor, after years ago being something of a mentor to him. The former president on Wednesday attacked the governor, a platform he co-founded called Truth Social, calling it “disloyal”, among other things.
Like Trump, the Republican belongs to the party’s right wing and shares similar hardline positions. But he has no penchant for scandals, loss of control and chaos, but is considered disciplined, organized, considered – despite an ongoing rivalry with Florida’s powerful employer, Disney, which was provoked by the allegedly too liberal corporate culture.
In polls among Republicans of possible candidates, DeSantis trails far behind Trump. After the announcement on Wednesday, the governor wants to tour the important American states for the primary elections, according to the TV channel NBC next week.