DeSantis courts voters in Iowa as Trump cancels rally due to weather
Gov. Ron DeSantis in Iowa took several not-at-all-subtle swings at former President Donald Trump.
LEARN MOREMay 23, 2023
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will officially join the race for president on Wednesday.
Scripps News has learned that DeSantis will make the official announcement on Twitter.
DeSantis joining the race is hardly a surprise. He recently visited Iowa to secure endorsements ahead of a presidential run.
On Tuesday the Florida state senate approved a bill that would permit DeSantis to run for president without resigning his office as Governor. The bill now goes to DeSantis for his signature.
The bill would change Florida state law, which currently states, "No person may qualify as a candidate for more than one public office, whether federal, state, district, county, or municipal, if the terms or any part thereof run concurrently with each other."
DeSantis is currently seen by many as former President Donald Trump's biggest rival for the Republican nomination. However, he still trails the former president by more than 40 points in the latest Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll.
DeSantis will become the 7th Republican to join the race.
He follows Tim Scott, who officially launched his candidacy this week. Other contenders include Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchinson, Larry Elder, and Trump.
Former Vice President Mike Pence has also hinted at a potential presidential run. Pence will sit down for a one-on-one interview with Scripps News Tuesday night, in which he is expected to discuss his political ambitions.
The winner of the Republican nomination will likely take on President Joe Biden in a general election. Two people, Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are running against Biden for the Democratic nomination.
