Ron DeSantis officially announced that he will seek the presidency in 2024. The Florida governor communicated his intentions alongside Elon Musk in a Twitter Space live stream. Despite some technical problems, as the servers crashed a couple of times due to the number of viewers, he was able to deliver his message and has already made a substantial impact on the Republican primaries. Minutes after the broadcast, his campaign released its first political ad of the presidential cycle.
During the ad, DeSantis harshly criticized Joe Biden and portrayed himself as the only leader capable of righting the ship. Among the viewers who joined the live event were prominent politicians and opinion leaders such as Tulsi Gabbard, Rudy Giuliani, Megyn Kelly, Benny Johnson and Liz Wheeler.
The campaign quickly released its first political ad of the cycle, possibly the first of many in its quest for the nomination. The short film begins with a still image on a half-open curtain while the candidate’s voice-over is heard. “Our border is a disaster. Crime infests our cities. The federal government makes it harder for families to make ends meet. And the president flounders. But decline is a choice. Success is attainable. And freedom is worth fighting for,” he begins.
Appearing on stage, DeSantis buttons the first button of his black jacket, which he combines with a blue tie, in what seems to be the preview of a political speech. “Righting the ship requires restoring sanity to our society, normalcy to our communities, and integrity to our institutions,” continues his voice in the background.
Then facing the camera with a giant flag in the background, the Sunshine State governor assures that “Truth must be our foundation — and common sense can no longer be an uncommon virtue. In Florida, we proved that it can be done.” “We chose facts over fear, education over indoctrination, law and order over rioting and disorder. We held the line when freedom hung in the balance,” he continued.
“We showed that we can — and must — revitalize America. We need the courage to lead and the strength to win. I’m Ron DeSantis, and I’m running for president to lead our Great American Comeback,” concluded the now-candidate, as the ad then ends showing his logo.
Ron DeSantis’ first campaign advertisement
I’m running for president to lead our Great American Comeback. pic.twitter.com/YmkWkLaVDg
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) May 24, 2023
The governor does not enter the race with a weak pocketbook. So far, he has raised more than $110 million, and more significant donors are expected to come on board in the coming weeks. The governor is seen as the strongest competitor to face Trump. Although he does not have the momentum he enjoyed months ago, he is the only person who came to compete head-to-head in the polls with the former president.
However, the primaries have shown that polls can change very quickly. For example, at this point in the 2008 election race, the favorites to win their party’s nomination were Hillary Clinton (D) and Rudy Giuliani (R). Neither was at the top of the list when all delegates were counted.
The situation was similar for the GOP in 2016. In early to mid-2015, it looked like the primary would be a neck-and-neck between Jeb Bush and Scott Walker, which ultimately did not end up happening.
