Who are the declared candidates running for president in 2024?
15. Francis Suarez
Update: On Aug. 29, Suarez took to Twitter to announce he was suspending his campaign for president.
Running for President of the United States has been one of the greatest honors of my life. This country has given so much to my family and me. The prospect of giving back at the highest levels of public service is a motivator if not a calling. Throughout this process, I have met…
— Mayor Francis Suarez (@FrancisSuarez) August 29, 2023
Francis Suarez, who serves as mayor of Miami, Florida, announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president in a Twitter video published on June 22. Suarez’s opening message drew heavily on his record as mayor of Miami, the second-largest city in the state of Florida and the 44th-largest in the U.S.
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My Dad taught me that you get to choose your battles, and I am choosing the biggest one of my life.
— Mayor Francis Suarez (@FrancisSuarez) June 15, 2023
I'm running for President.
Join me at https://t.co/Wf7fVZACkl and for just , help secure me a spot on the debate stage ?? https://t.co/MgO1RIl3jp#FXS24pic.twitter.com/ZhKa0bQYll
The video contains footage of Suarez jogging in various parts of the city, including at his alma mater of La Salle High School. After declaring “this is my school,” Suarez explained that “When I became mayor, I wanted to make sure every child had a shot at a great and relevant education.”
“I started a program that helped every child open up their own bank account. For many, that’s where their American dream starts,” he added.
He contrasted the state of Miami when he took office in 2017, when “the city was broke and broken,” to its present state after he “lowered taxes to an historic low.” According to Suarez, “Our economy took off and our tax collections skyrocketed.”
Suarez also credited policies he embraced as mayor with lowering the unemployment rate in addition to reducing the homeless population from 6,000 to just over 600. He condemned the federal government, lamenting that “America’s so-called leaders confuse being loud with actually leading.”
“All Washington wants to do is fight with each other instead of fighting for the people that put them in office,” Suarez insisted. He drew upon a lesson he learned from his father, who taught him that “you get to choose your battles” before proclaiming that he was “choosing the biggest one” of his life by throwing his hat into the presidential race.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
