MIAMI, Fla. — Francis Suarez is a man you might have seen before.
The newest presidential candidate for this 2024 election cycle is Miami’s first-ever local-born Mayor. His father, Xavier Suarez, was also Mayor of Miami.
Suarez is a married father of two, born and raised in Miami, Florida. His parents are both Cuban immigrants.
The newest Presidential Candidate stands apart from the rest as he brands himself as a younger, more middle-ground conservative.
“He has carved sort of an independent path in Florida politics,” shares Gregory Koger.
Koger, a professor of Political Science at the University of Miami, shares that Suarez’s messaging is heavily centered on fighting for the American Dream, “Francis Suarez is actually focusing on trying to build people’s economic futures.”
Koger is also the Director of UM’s Hanley Democracy Center and explains that Florida’s Republicans historically are pro-immigration.
In recent years that has changed, but Suarez has been adamant that he’s protecting the millions of Floridians who are immigrants.
Koger furthers, “I think Francis Suarez has stayed true to that tradition and his family’s tradition as a Cuban American family that originally came to the United States and found a new home.”
The 45-year-old was first elected as Miami’s City Commissioner, then won the mayoral race twice.
But Koger says he’s never faced a race of this magnitude, “Francis Suarez has received high election rates, he got 86% of the vote in 2017 and 79% in 2021, but that’s off a relatively small number of people who actually voted. Highly popular, small electorate.”
After documenting his experience as one of the first elected officials to contract covid-19, Suarez first came to national prominence.
After framing Miami as the nation’s next Silicon Valley, he gained attention from out of state.
In 2021, he stated his plan for Miami was to abolish taxes. That’s when he turned to crypto, being named a leader in the industry. Suarez also became the first US politician to have their salary paid in Bitcoin.
He also created ‘MiamiCoin,’ a way for participants and the city to profit through BitCoin.
But Koger explains it hasn’t had the success he’s hoped for, “Some of the specific ventures to achieve that have not worked out.”
Something else against the potential contender is a recent FBI probe over payments from a developer seeking help from the city.
In his work outside of the Mayor’s office, Suarez is an attorney and works in real estate.
“Which means he’s in a position to apparently profit off his position as Mayor or to do work for people who also have work for the city,” shares Koger.
He continues, “The underlying amateurism of Florida politics creates these situations where politicians seem to have conflicts of interest. And Mayor Francis Suarez is facing an investigation from the FBI for just one such conflict.”
Regarding his policies, Suarez has used money from a bond initiative to fight rising sea levels in the city and has provided more affordable housing to fight homelessness.
Miami’s mayoral position is nonpartisan, but in past elections, Suarez says he has not voted for Desantis or Trump. Yet, the now Republican candidate promises to be the level-headed, moderate solution.
“He’s running as a Republican,” states Koger. “But he’s not supporting the direction the party has gone in the last seven years.”
If able to participate in the Republican debate, Suarez, as it stands now, would be the only candidate of Latino heritage.
