We reported over the weekend that Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said to “Fox New Sunday’s” Shannon Bream, “Americans should keep an eye out for a major announcement on Thursday”. He is scheduled to give a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Los Angeles. My colleague wrote that there were hints that Francis Suarez was considering a move for the GOP primary in 2024:
According to reports, he has been considering a run for president for months. He has also visited four states that have early primaries. Suarez, according to the Reagan Foundation will be appearing at the Santa Clarita Library, CA on June 15, as part of the “A Time of Choosing Speaker Series”.
The mayor is now in the same boat as the other GOP candidates, having filed the paperwork on Wednesday to run for the 2024 Republican Presidential nomination.
Associated Press:
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who is running for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election, filed his paperwork on Wednesday. He entered the race just one day after GOP frontrunner Donald Trump was in court in Miami to face federal charges.
The 45-year-old mayor, who is the only Hispanic in the race and declared his candidacy at the Federal Election Commission.
Suarez is the son of Miami’s first Cuban-born mayor. In recent years, he has received national attention for his efforts in luring companies to Miami with the goal of turning it into the next Silicon Valley and a crypto hub.
The report goes on to describe some of Suarez’s background and some policy differences between him and his fellow primary candidate for 2024, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Suarez is married and has two children. He is an attorney specializing in corporate law and real estate. He was previously a commissioner for the city of Miami. He has also established himself as someone that can help the party connect further with Hispanics.
Suarez has criticized DeSantis for his immigration laws, calling them “headline grabbers” that lack substance.
….Suarez criticized DeSantis for his feud with Disney regarding the same law. He said it looked like a personal vendetta.
Suarez, who is a close friend of the Trump campaign, has reiterated Trump’s criticisms about DeSantis, claiming that the government struggles to build personal relationships with politicians and doesn’t make eye contact.
Mayor Suarez, however, did support DeSantis’ Parental Rights in Education Act and the Republican-majority legislature of the state, which the Florida Governor signed into law in 2020.
The AP reported that if elected, he’d be the first U.S. Mayor to hold the office of president. Suarez said he did not vote for Donald Trump either in 2016 or 2020. Instead, he chose to write-in candidates Senator Marco Rubio (RFL) and Former Vice President Mike Pence.
In August 2022 we covered Suarez’s “Miami Miracle” in an interview with Maria Bartiromo of Fox Business. He said:
You can compare the Miami Miracle to the Washington Nightmare. In Washington, inflation is rampant and the cost of everyday items has increased due to deficit spending.
The numbers we see actually tell a completely different story. Either more Republicans are moving here, or people are becoming Republicans as they flee the socialist model. We know that the socialist system has never worked, in any country and in any situation.
It won’t work because it will push people out. Like New York, which famously forced out Amazon HQ, and San Francisco, which famously drove out Elon Musk.
Suarez is expected to announce his candidacy for president of the United States during Thursday’s speech at the Reagan Library, a venue with a strong connection to Ronald Reagan’s life and legacy as our 40th President and a champion of conservativism. Please read Hoge’s entire piece to get a glimpse of what Suarez may discuss in his speech.
