Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is officially running for president, but he might not be picking up endorsements from South Florida anytime soon. Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R) is making it clear that he would never support Suarez for president. Gimenez called Suarez a "complete fraud" over his past voting record.
The Republican primary continues to widen as Republicans enter the 2024 race. Though President Donald Trump (R) is facing mounting legal woes, he has indicated that he still plans on continuing to run for the White House.
Florida lawmakers have already endorsed the Trump campaign, and though Gimenez has not endorsed Trump, he’s questioning why Mayor Suarez would enter the race.
During an interview with Fox News, Gimenez did not mince his words, saying that he would "never support Francis Suarez."
🚨The truth is that Francis Suarez is a fraud and has zero chance of winning the Republican nomination! pic.twitter.com/B4qWrceTQy
— Carlos A. Gimenez (@CarlosGimenezFL) June 14, 2023
"I think that he's a complete fraud. He voted for Hillary Clinton, he voted for Gillum, and he voted for Joe Biden. In what universe will a person that has voted that way in the past... get the Republican nomination?" Gimenez questioned.
He went on to say that Suarez might be good at telling "a good tale, but believe me, I know Francis Suarez very well, and I will never, ever support him for president."
Suarez has grown popular in recent years, welcoming technological advances to Miami. The Mayor has also accepted a portion of his salary in bitcoin in an effort to generate awareness of crypto currencies. Suarez has sought to make Miami a hub for entrepreneurship in tech and crypto, which has been celebrated by some and chided by others.
However, his past voting record is sure to come up during the election as Republicans are trying to stand out in a deep pool, trying to draw a distinction on how conservative their platforms are.
Gimenez has also drawn controversy over his voting record as he voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.
