It was recently reported by The Hill Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has officially filed paperwork to run for a second term in 2022.
The Republican governor’s statement of candidacy was filed Friday, but didn’t become visible in the state’s public database until Monday. DeSantis said at a Monday morning press conference that a formal campaign kickoff will be forthcoming.
“It’s more of a formality to open a campaign committee,” he said. “We won’t do any public announcements until after the special session but you have to prepare for these things.”
There was never any real doubt that DeSantis would run for a second term in the governor’s mansion. He’s been aggressively raising money for his political committee and his public remarks have been hitting the all the same notes as an incumbent running for reelection.
He has already drawn a field of high-profile Democratic challengers, including Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.), state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and state Sen. Annette Taddeo, who jumped into the race last month.
While all three are well-known among Florida Democrats, they’re likely to face a tough fight against DeSantis. His political committee is sitting on nearly $60 million, and he has the strong backing of the GOP’s conservative base.
