Tossing his hat into the ring, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has joined the race for the 2024 United States presidential elections from the Republican camp. Special of a famend Cuban American politician, Suarez just lately filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, marking the beginning of his marketing campaign journey, as reported by numerous US media outlets.
Suarez now turns into the third key political persona from Florida to contest the Republican presidential nomination, becoming a member of the ranks of two frontrunners within the get together: former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. At forty five years outdated, Suarez can be the only important Hispanic contender in the race up to now. With Florida being a long-established swing state that has recently veered additional right, the considerable Cuban American inhabitants has solidified its status as a strong Republican stronghold for generations.
However, Suarez faces an uphill challenge in dethroning Trump as the highest Republican candidate. While Trump was attending a federal arraignment in a classified paperwork case, Suarez appeared outside the Miami courthouse, however was met by a hostile group of protestors, dubbing him a “swamp monster” and “RINO” (Republican in title only). Suarez has tried to distance himself from both Trump and DeSantis, carving out a extra moderate Republican space for himself.
In response to Trump’s derogatory remarks about Haiti, Suarez “wholeheartedly condemned the discriminatory comments” on Twitter, referring to his personal immigrant household background. He additionally admitted to not supporting Trump’s re-election bid in 2020, stating that politicians must be inspiring and respectful individuals with a great character.
Though initially sceptical of DeSantis’s first run for governor and voting for Democratic opponent Andrew Gillum in 2018, Suarez finally supported DeSantis’s profitable bid in 2022. Despite his help, Suarez continues to voice his criticism where essential, corresponding to in May, when he dismissed DeSantis’s dispute with Disney as a “personal vendetta” during his look on The Hill’s NewsNation show.
Elected as Miami mayor in 2017, Suarez had been considering a long-shot presidential run since as early as 2021, coinciding along with his re-election. His father, Xavier Suarez, served as Miami’s first Cuban-born mayor from 1985. Throughout his time as mayor, Francis Suarez has worked to position Miami as the next outstanding US tech centre, actively attracting professionals away from traditional hotspots, corresponding to California’s Silicon Valley, significantly through the COVID-19 pandemic’s peak..