Ron DeSantis has decided to run for president, The Washington Post is reporting. The newspaper cites recent conversations between the governor and allies.
Donald Trump, former South Carolina Governor and Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, and California entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are the only other announced Republican candidates.
The popular Florida Republican has not formally announced a 2024 run but is said to be waiting until after Florida state legislative session ends in May.
He’s currently in a battle with national media who, he says, are misrepresenting his efforts to remove dangerous gender ideology and pornography from elementary school classrooms.
In the meantime, DeSantis has already moved forward with preparations for a presidential campaign, the report claimed.
On Thursday, former Virginia Attorney General and Trump administration official Ken Cuccinelli launched a pro-DeSantis political action committee, ahead of the governor’s expected presidential run.
Dubbed “Never Back Down,” the new political action committee is one of four pro-DeSantis PACs launched ahead of the 2024 presidential race.
“Grassroots conservatives see the governor as a leader and a fighter with a winning conservative track record who will lead the Republican Party to victory in 2024,” Cuccinelli said in a statement Thursday.
“Based on those conversations, I am most confident that we will build an unmatched grassroots political army for Governor DeSantis to help carry him to the White House.”
Last week, DeSantis released his memoirs, The Courage to Be Free, and is scheduled to visit a number of key Republican primary states to promote the book, including Iowa, Nevada, and New Hampshire.
Polls currently show Trump leading the pack for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, though DeSantis has consistently polled as the top challenger to the former president.
In a head-to-head matchup with President Joe Biden, polls show Trump leading.
–Wire services and Metro Voice