A federal super PAC backing Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’s anticipated run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination has launched ads in key primary states.
On Wednesday, SOS America PAC released a two-minute ad painting Suarez as a law-and-order politician who strongly supports policing in the face of increased crime in American cities under President Joe Biden. The PAC is running the ads in New Hampshire, Iowa and Nevada, according to a press release.
“America needs conservative Mayor Francis Suarez for president,” said Chapin Fay, the PAC’s spokesperson, in a statement. “As our nation faces anti-police and pro-crime Democrat leadership in cities across the nation like Baltimore, Portland and New York City, the achievements of first-generation American Mayor Suarez underscore the need for immediate nationwide adoption of his approach.”
The ad was released the day before Suarez is expected to make a “major announcement” during a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library outside Los Angeles. In multiple interviews over the last several days, Suarez has teased a presidential run, answering questions about his political future by telling journalists to tune into his speech Thursday evening. He is scheduled to give remarks at 6 p.m. Pacific time (9 p.m. EDT) as part of a conservative speaker series entitled “A Time For Choosing.”
The mayor’s expected White House bid comes as he faces multiple investigations into his private consulting work work for a real estate developer who sought City Hall approvals for a project in Coconut Grove. Public records show one of Suarez’s staffers helped developer Rishi Kapoor’s company secure permits for the project, and internal meeting notes from Kapoor’s firm show that the developer told his staff he would ask the mayor to try and help resolve permitting issues. Meanwhile, Suarez was being paid $10,000 a month as a consultant.
The FBI, Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office and Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust have launched inquiries. The mayor has denied wrongdoing and maintained he was paid to give advice about “programming” involving the mix of stores and restaurants at the real estate company’s projects in Miami-Dade. He has said he welcomes the scrutiny. The developer denies paying Suarez to lobby his own government.
The PAC and Suarez’s message
SOS America PAC raised more than $6 million last year, federal campaign finance records show, with large contributions from several donors who have supported Suarez’s previous political campaigns. Suarez, his political advisers and at least one city staffer who took a leave of absence with donors at a fundraiser last week at the Maison F.P. Journe in the Kimpton EPIC Hotel.
The ad provides an initial view into Suarez’s political messaging as he appears poised to join a growing field of Republican candidates that includes former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis. The PAC is touting Miami’s historically low crime rate as a marker for Suarez’s readiness to be president. The ad also points to Suarez’s promotion of Miami as a low-tax, business-friendly city.
On Tuesday, Suarez appeared outside the federal courthouse in Miami where Trump pleaded not guilty to charges he mishandled classified documents with highly sensitive defense information. Suarez told media he was focused on public safety as demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse.
He stopped to give Telemundo an interview in Spanish, where he was asked about his expected presidential campaign. After promoting his Thursday night speech, he was asked how he differs from Trump, who is considered the leading GOP candidate, according to most polls.
“I think I’m a different kind of candidate,” Suarez said. “I’m Hispanic. I’m from a new generation. I’m focused on creating a United States that can confront a dynamic economy.”
