Miami Mayor Francis Suarez enters crowded GOP presidential race
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez became the latest Republican to enter the crowded race for the presidency, filing paperwork with the Federal Election Commission Wednesday.
A senior Republican source familiar with Suarez's planning tells CBS News that Suarez plans to formally announce his long-shot candidacy for the White House Thursday during a speech at the Reagan Library.
CBS News reported on "America Decides" last week that Suarez was likely to enter the 2024 fray, and that he has been raising money and shifting city hall staff to a pro-Suarez super PAC.
Th super PAC, SOS America, posted a highly produced video Wednesday ahead of his announcement
Suarez, who is Cuban American, will be the only Latino GOP candidate in the growing 2024 field. He is the president of the bipartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors and is the 11th Republican presidential candidate in the race, according to CBS News' reporting.
Former President Trump was arraigned on federal charges in Miami Tuesday, pleading not guilty to 37 charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents. Suarez defended Trump, calling his indictment "unAmerican" during an appearance on "Fox News Sunday."
He recently told CBS News' "Face the Nation" that his candidacy would help Republicans expand their appeal to Latino voters. Suarez says his story "demonstrates the greatness of this country, that this country provides opportunities to everyone who cares about the American dream."
"I think I can grow the tent, not for an election, but for a generation," he told Politico recently. " I think it matters who is the communicator of ideas and how they communicate those ideas. You can look at my history and know that I'm someone who's a unifier. You can look at my history and see that I'm someone who appreciates the nuances in a variety of different Hispanic cultures."
Suarez, the second Republican candidate in the field from Florida, has tangled with rival Gov. Ron DeSantis over his COVID policies and commented on the Florida governor's social interactions. DeSantis "seems to struggle with relationships, generally," Suarez told Fox News.
"I look people on the eye when I shake their hands," Suarez said.
He has also called DeSantis' feud with Disney a "personal vendetta."
"Ron DeSanctimonious' early weakness as a candidate has every political rival smelling blood in the water. Nobody thinks DeSanctus has a shot," senior Trump campaign official Jason Miller told CBS News in response to Suarez's entry into the race.
Unlike many of the Republicans running for president, Suarez believes climate change must be addressed, he told CBS News' Margaret Brennan on "Face the Nation" in a separate appearance last year.
"It's not theoretical for us in the city of Miami, it's real," he said.
"We deal with it day in and day out year after year. We've been dedicating a tremendous amount of resources, updating our building codes over decades, since 1992, when we had a 200-m.p.h. hurricane event called Hurricane Andrew."
Suarez's candidacy is not without controversy, however. He has been connected to Miami real estate developer Rishi Kapoor, who paid him a $10,000 per month consulting fee to help with permits for a real estate venture while Kapoor was seeking city approval for an urban project, according to a recent lawsuit and reporting by the Miami Herald. The position of Miami mayor is technically a part-time job, so Suarez may take other jobs at the same time, but county law requires annual disclosure of sources of outside income.
Both the FBI and SEC are investigating Kapoor, the CEO of Location Ventures. The Miami-Dade ethics commission has also opened an investigation into Suarez's work for the developer.
In May, Suarez told "Face the Nation" he would need to make an announcement soon if he wants to meet the criteria to make the first primary debate because he lacks name recognition compared to other well-known candidates.
"I'm someone who needs to be better known by this country," he said. "You have to take every opportunity to share your story, to share your vision, and to try to inspire the American people to choose what you're trying to offer them."
Suarez, the son of Miami's first Cuban-born mayor, has been trying to turn Miami into a crypto hub and the next Silicon Valley. He even takes his salary in Bitcoin, despite the cryptocurrency's high volatility.
If he were to win, Suarez would be the first sitting mayor ever elected president. So far, in addition to Trump and DeSantis, the Republican primary field includes former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Caitlin Yilek contributed to this report.