Governor Ron DeSantis filed Wednesday to run for president of the United States. The governor's announcement on his Twitter put an end to months of speculation on whether or not he would enter the race for the White House.
Nearly 100 Florida lawmakers recently backed DeSantis as many expected him to announce his run. The dozens of lawmakers threw their support behind DeSantis the day after the state's two top legislative leaders said they backed him for the GOP presidential primary.
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See the presidential filing:
Governor Ron DeSantis presi... by ABC Action News
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison issued a statement after the filing.
“Ron DeSantis has pushed an extreme MAGA agenda focused on ripping Floridians’ freedoms away and now he wants to take that agenda nationwide. [...] If there was any doubt – DeSantis’s announcement turns up the volume on an already messy Republican primary. One thing is guaranteed – whoever makes it out will only have done so by catering to the most MAGA, right-wing Republicans in the primary.”
Who is running for president?
Several other people have announced their intent to run for president.
President Biden announced his bid for a second term in April. Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are the only other Democrats who have announced their bid.
Williamson, a self-help author and one-time spiritual adviser to Oprah Winfrey, also ran in 2020. Kennedy, a nephew of President John F. Kennedy, is an anti-vaccine activist.
DeSantis joins six other Republicans who have announced they're running for the presidency.
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President Donald Trump kicked off his White House bid at the start of the year with stops in New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, a Trump appointee, is also running.
Other Republicans running include Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchinson, Larry Elder, and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott.
Ramaswamy is an entrepreneur and author. Hutchinson is a former two-term governor of Arkansas. Elder is a conservative talk show radio host. Scott is a senator from South Carolina.
DeSantis' recent legislation
DeSantis has pushed through an aggressive agenda during the state's most recent legislative session. Topics ranged from abortion, guns, diversity and Disney.
In April, DeSantis signed a permitless concealed carry law, a six-week abortion ban, and a bill that ends a unanimous jury requirement in death penalty sentencing.
Also in April, the ongoing dispute between DeSantis escalated when Disney sued DeSantis. DeSantis said the lawsuit is politically motivated.
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First Amendment experts said Disney has a "strong case" against DeSantis.
Since the suit was filed, Disney amended the lawsuit and DeSantis asked that a judge be disqualified from the suit.
In May, DeSantis signed a bill that makes child rapists eligible for the death penalty, a slate of education bills, immigration overhaul bills, bills to defund DEI programs at public colleges, and bills targeting drag shows, pronouns, bathroom usage and more.
