Ron DeSantis to declare for the presidency as soon as next week: WSJ

However, he still remains a sizable underdog to former President Trump.

Photo via AP
Photo via AP

Is an official DeSantis 2024 announcement imminent? A new report in the Wall Street Journal indicates it could come as soon as next week.

‘DeSantis’s intentions have been clear for months, but the decision to file formal paperwork with the Federal Election Commission declaring his candidacy, corresponding with the donor meeting in Miami on May 25, begins a new phase in his quest for the GOP nomination and puts him in direct competition with former President Donald Trump and a handful of other candidates,’ the WSJ reports.

The NY-based newspaper also claims a formal DeSantis campaign kickoff event would follow shortly thereafter, though details of any such ceremony are not publicly known yet.

DeSantis has long been considered the most viable intra-party challenger to former President Trump. The FL governor cruised to reelection by a sizable margin in last November’s midterm elections, and has spent the first 5 months of 2023 signing a range of ultra-conservative bills, including ones that expand ‘Don’t Say Gay’ policies in public schools, reduce abortion access from 15 weeks to 6, take aim at Disney World’s self-governing district, curb DEI initiatives at public colleges and universities, and more.

However, despite the attention DeSantis has cultivated as a Trump conqueror, he has a seemingly high hill to climb to the GOP nomination. As of May 18, the RealClearPolitics average of available Republican primary polling data currently has Trump opening an approx +36% lead, with 56% to DeSantis’ 19.9%. Mike Pence and Nikki Haley trail further behind, at 5.9% and 4.3%, respectively.