Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is ready to take a major step closer to until announcing that he will run for president in 2024with plans underway to launch an exploratory committee in mid-May, according to sources familiar with ABC News.
DeSantis’ official announcement would come shortly thereafter, and the governor is currently targeting mid-June, the sources said. The news was first reported by NBCNews.
A DeSantis spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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The governor has long been seen as the main rival of former President Donald Trump. for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
ABC News previously reported that DeSantis has privately indicated to allies that he intends to launch a run for the White House.
The governor has suggested that any policy decisions would have to wait until his state Legislature ends this year, which will be in early May.
“This is going to be the most productive legislative session we’ve ever had overall, and I think people are going to be very excited,” he said on “Fox & Friends” in February, during which he also promoted his new book and accompanying tour. “As we get past that, we can decide from there,” she said then.
while florida currently has a “give up running” law that would require DeSantis to resign if he runs for the White House, a state senator this week introduced an amendment to exempt “persons seeking the office of president or vice president of the United States.”
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DeSantis, both popular and controversialhe easily won re-election in November and has since tried to share Florida’s “blueprint” for success with other parts of the country.
At the same time, he has focused on issues of culture warfare, such as restricting classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender, while fighting what he calls excessive “awakening” in the United Statespromoted by the liberals.
ABC News’ Jay O’Brien and Brittany Shepherd contributed to this report.
DeSantis plans to launch 2024 exploratory committee starting in May: sources originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
