DeSantis to enter presidential race next week: sources

STORY: Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is set to officially enter the 2024 U.S. presidential race next week.

That’s according to two sources familiar with the decision...

...which would make DeSantis the biggest rival of former president Donald Trump for the Republican nomination...

...and shake up a contest that has so far been largely one-sided.

Sources say DeSantis will likely file his candidacy on May 25, with a more formal launch the week of May 29.

Representatives for DeSantis did not immediately return a request for comment.

Meanwhile, Trump has recently ramped up political attacks on the Florida governor and maintains a commanding lead in the 2024 Republican primary, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Those attacks have diminished DeSantis’ standing in national polls.

However he’s garnered a series of conservative victories in his state in recent months, including the scrapping of diversity programs at public universities and allowing permitless carry of concealed weapons...

...and most notably, banning nearly all abortions in the state of Florida.