After a short-lived push to win the Republican nomination ahead of the 2024 presidential elections, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is now shifting his focus to a potential bid for Florida Governor.
Suarez, who has been the Miami Mayor since 2017, said that running for Florida's top executive office is very much a possibility.
"One thing that would be interesting is looking at an ecosystem like the state of Florida, potentially running for Governor," he told Tom Llamas of NBC News. "It's something that I would consider, for sure," he said.
Suarez, a first generation Cuban-American, began his political career in 2009 when he was elected to represent the 4th district in the Miami City Commission. His father, Xavier Suarez, also served as the Mayor of Miami from 1985-93 and 1997-98.
Suarez's comments were not the first time he has shown public interest for a gubernatorial run. Last September, he told different media outlets that running for Governor is something that would interest him.
His speech at the Republican National Convention focused around Florida's rightward-shifting voter composition. Consequently, he said, policies implemented by Republicans are resonating with Floridians.
"In 2016, Democrats — Hillary Clinton specifically — won Dade County by 30 points. In the Midterm, just in 2022, (Gov. Ron) DeSantis and Marco Rubio won Dade County by 10 and 12 points respectively," he said. "That's a 40-point swing, which means the policies implemented by the Republican Party have resonated with the specific categories of Hispanics in Dade County," he added.
Record reductions in crime and homicides, historically low property taxes, the lowest unemployment rate of any large U.S. metro area and a nation-leading wage growth at the county level are some of the policies that have helped Republicans gather more support in the state and he hopes those policies can also help propel his bid for Governor in the future, according to Suarez.
In the history of the state of Florida, only one person of Hispanic heritage has served as Governor. In 1987, Robert Martinez, of Spanish descent, held the position until 1991.
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