MIAMI, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis has officially entered the 2024 presidential race, joining a crowded Republican primary contest.
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He filed paperwork to run this afternoon hours ahead of a planned online conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Musk Wednesday night.
Donors are gathering in Miami amid what some are calling an unusual way to announce a run for president.
Usually, politicians make rousing speeches in front of packed rooms of supporters. This approach targets a demographic that DeSantis’s team believes they can use to pull off a primary upset.
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Major donors were expected to gather at Four Seasons in downtown Miami, but the hotel showed no signs of anything unusual happening besides a heightened news presence.
The unusual, but modern move “may be a good way to start,” according to the University of New Haven’s Dr. Patricia Crouse, adding that DeSantis has hurdles he’ll need to overcome.
“He definitely has an online presence,” Crouse said. “But when he actually starts campaigning, he can’t do this by just tweeting.”
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Other hurdles include an inexperienced campaign team, concerned he’s gone too far right to win a general election and an aversion to attacking former president and ally Donald Trump and angering potential primary voters.
“He’s not going to be able to avoid attacking Trump,” Crouse said. You can’t play nice in politics and expect to be able to win.”
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Democrats wasted no time pouncing, hiring a billboard to drive circles around the hotel all day Wednesday.
“He doesn’t care about the everyday American,” Nikki Fried said. “He cares about his political ambitions, and that is now going to be displayed on the national stage.”
The donor event is expected to begin around 6 p.m.
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