Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will officially be running for reelection next year.
DeSantis sent an email to supporters Monday announcing that he's running to keep the governor's job in 2022.
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"I’m running for re-election because I'm on a mission to keep Florida free and because I have proven I have the courage to lead," DeSantis' email read.
At a news conference Monday morning, DeSantis was asked about filing paperwork on Friday to run for reelection.
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"It's more of a formality, you know, to open up a campaign committee," DeSantis said. "We're not gonna be doing really anything in terms of public announcements until after the legislative session, but you know, you gotta prepare for these things."
The 43-year-old Republican governor defeated Democrat Andrew Gillum in the state's 2018 gubernatorial election by a little over 30,000 votes out of more than 8.1 million votes cast.
A number of Democrats have already said they'll challenge DeSantis in 2022, including Rep. Charlie Crist, the state's former governor, current Florida Agriculture Secretary Nikki Fried, the only Democrat who holds a statewide office, and Florida Sen. Annette Taddeo, who has represented the 40th district in Miami-Dade since 2017.
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The election is scheduled for Nov. 8, 2022, with the primary scheduled for Aug. 23.
