Ron DeSantis filed paperwork to run for president Wednesday afternoon ahead of tonight’s official announcement on Twitter with controversial owner Elon Musk.
Once nearly even with former President Donald Trump, DeSantis has wilted to a very distant second place, although he does still hold a big lead over other rivals.
It remains to be seen if DeSantis, 44, will more aggressively criticize Trump once he is officially in the GOP primary fight, a high stakes strategy that could anger the party’s right-wing MAGA base.
Earlier Wednesday, DeSanits abruptly scrapped a post-campaign launch rally planned for his hometown of Dunedin, Florida. The now-official Republican presidential candidate had planned to address a crowd at a minor league baseball stadium in the suburban town north of Tampa either Thursday or early next week.
But DeSantis decided to cancel the rally as his campaign rollout plans came more sharply into focus.
Instead of his hometown, DeSantis will journey to early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire either over the weekend or just after the Memorial Day holiday.
DeSantis was raised in Florida and has long touted his Sunshine State roots. But he recently claimed his “cultural roots” lie in working class Ohio and Pennsylvania, where his parents grew up.
The logistics of the DeSantis campaign launch roll out has been a bit chaotic, particularly since it has been expected for months.
Insiders say DeSantis is known to shake up plans and make last-minute announcements to give an unscripted veneer to events.
DeSantishopes to get a big boost in polls from his official campaign launch.