Miami Mayor Francis Suarez declared his bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Wednesday, joining the crowded field one day after Donald Trump was indicted on federal charges.
The 45-year-old Republican mayor, the only Hispanic candidate in the race, filed paperwork declaring his candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.
Mr Suarez, who is vying to become the first sitting mayor elected president, joins a GOP primary battle that includes Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former vice president Mike Pence, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, Nikki Haley and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Despite having a candidate field in the double digits, the race is largely seen as a two-person contest between Mr Trump and Mr DeSantis.
However, Mr Trump’s many legal vulnerabilities may have given his Republican opponents an opening. None more so than his federal indictment on charges of mishandling top secret documents and refusing to comply with a subpoena to return them.
The former president, who turned 77 on Wednesday, pleaded not guilty to 37 felony counts in a Miami federal court on Tuesday.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez
(Associated Press)
Mr Suarez, who has been critical of the former president, got a taste of what the campaign race might look like when he was targeted by angry Trump supporters outside the courthouse on Tuesday.
“We’ve got a Deep State corrupt mayor!” one screamed at him as he made his way towards the courthouse.
“We’ve got a swamp monster folks,” another shouted. “The swamp’s getting taken down, and you’re getting taken down, brother.”
Mr Suarez, the president of the US Conference of Mayors, is the son of Miami’s first Cuban-born mayor.
He has gained national attention in recent years for his efforts to lure companies to Miami, with an eye toward turning the city into a crypto hub and the next Silicon Valley.