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Miami Mayor Francis Suarez officially entered the race for the 2024 Republican nomination for President. In an announcement video posted to social media on Thursday, Suarez said he is running to “give our children the future they deserve.”
Suarez was first elected to lead the largest city in Florida in 2017, receiving over 85% of the vote. He was re-elected in 2021 with nearly 80% of the vote.
During 2018, Suarez broke with his party as he refused to support Ron DeSantis in the race for Governor. Suarez publicly supported and voted for Democrat Andrew Gillum.
Francis Suarez is only the fifth Latino candidate for president in US history.
Suarez’s entrance into the race also makes him the first Latino candidate to run for president in 2024.
“It is time for a leader with a record of real results, not just rhetoric,” Suarez told a crowd at the Reagan Presidential Library in a speech he gave in both English and Spanish.
The mayor said it was time for Republicans to nominate someone who can reach voters “Republicans have struggled to connect with.”
“It’s time to take things into our own hands,” Suarez said in his announcement video. “It’s time to get things started.”