Republican Congressman Ron DeSantis announced his intention to run for governor of Florida on the Friday, Jan. 5 episode of the Fox News program, "Fox and Friends."
The announcement of DeSantis’ entrance into the race comes on the heels of his recent endorsement by President Donald Trump on Twitter.
“Congressman Ron DeSantis is a brilliant young leader, Yale and then Harvard Law, who would make a great governor of Florida,” Trump wrote in a Dec. 22 tweet. “He loves our country and is a true fighter.”
Following the endorsement, a poll released by Remington Research Group showed DeSantis leading a hypothetical primary matchup with 28 percent of the vote.
“As you remember a few weeks ago, the president tweeted support for me as a candidate for governor of Florida,” DeSantis said. “So today, we’re going to be filing the paperwork to begin that effort. As a military officer, an Iraq veteran and a proven conservative, with the support of the president, I’m in a position to exercise the leadership that can build on the great work that Governor Rick Scott has done to advance economic opportunity, reform education and drain the swamp in Tallahassee that needs to be drained just like Washington. While this is an important step towards running for governor, an official campaign kick-off will take place later this month.”
DeSantis has served as the U.S. representative for Florida’s 6th District since 2013.
