Miami Mayor Francis Suarez seeks GOP presidential nomination.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez Makes Presidential Bid

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has officially filed paperwork to run for the Republican presidential nomination, according to a filing with the Federal Election Commission.

Suarez has already completed visits to the four major primary states and made appearances in the media hub of Washington, D.C. In addition, a super PAC supporting Suarez on Wednesday launched a digital ad campaign in the initial four states hosting GOP contests in the upcoming 2024 presidential race.

Suarez, aged 45, teased his announcement, telling Fox News that he would be giving a “big speech” at the Reagan Library in California on Thursday.

He is positioning himself as a new kind of leader who can inspire people.

As a corporate and real estate attorney and a former city commissioner, Suarez joins a competitive Republican primary race dominated by former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. But as the sole Hispanic candidate in the race, he seeks to differentiate himself as a moderate candidate who can appeal to Hispanic voters.

Suarez, who is the son of Miami’s first Cuban-born mayor, has criticized DeSantis’s stance on immigration, calling for a national solution, and has both supported and criticized certain policies on cultural issues.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) criticized Suarez in a statement on Wednesday, stating that he supports key aspects of Trump’s agenda and has prioritized personal gain over serving the people of Miami.

“As mayor of Miami, Suarez has repeatedly used his position to benefit himself, prioritizing pay raises for himself, accepting lavish gifts, and taking shady payments—all while ignoring the biggest challenges facing the people he was elected to serve,” said DNC chair Jaime Harrison. “As the MAGA field keeps growing, we’ll keep reminding the American people that there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between these extreme, self-serving candidates.”

Changed Stance on Trump; Under Ethics Scrutiny

Suarez did not support Trump in the 2016 or 2020 elections, instead writing in the names of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and then-Vice President Mike Pence. However, his position seems to have changed, with Suarez offering praise for Trump’s policies.