Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to forgo a traditional presidential campaign launch and will instead hold his "campaign kickoff" event next week in the key state of Iowa, according to campaign plans exclusively obtained by ABC News.
The May 30 kickoff event will begin a four-day swing through 12 cities and towns in the early nominating states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, which the campaign is billing as "Our Great American Comeback Tour."
"Our campaign is committed to putting in the time to win these early nominating states. No one will work harder than Governor DeSantis to share his vision with the country — he has only begun to fight," said campaign manager Generra Peck in a statement to ABC News about the plans.
Florida Governor and likely 2024 Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis speaks as part of his Florida Blueprint tour in Pinellas Park, Florida, U.S. March 8, 2023.Scott Audette/Reuters
MORE: Twitter glitches delay Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign kickoff with Elon Musk
During the tour, the Florida Republican governor will participate in a series of speeches, retail shops and fireside chats.
Although DeSantis has already visited key primary states over the course of the past few months, these will be his first visits as an official candidate for president.
Earlier this month, DeSantis was a special guest at Rep. Randy Feenstra's third annual Feenstra Family Picnic in Iowa and pitched a "positive alternative" to Republican voters.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks as he announces he is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in this screen grab from a social media video@rondesantis/via Reuters
MORE: Ron DeSantis files to run for president, testing whether he'll be Trump's big challenger
DeSantis launched his 2024 presidential bid for the White House on Wednesday, releasing a video announcing his candidacy prior to the glitch-plagued Twitter Spaces campaign launch with Twitter owner and billionaire Elon Musk.
"I am running for president of the United States to lead our great American comeback," DeSantis said during the Twitter Space.
"We know our country's going in the wrong direction. We see it with our eyes and we feel it in our bones," he said, going on to criticize current Democratic policies regarding the southern border, crime and public safety and the cost of living for middle-class families.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
