Lynchburg professor weighs in on DeSantis presidential announcement

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — Wednesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that he will be running in the 2024 Presidential Election.

Dr. David Richards is the Chair of the Political Science Program and International Relations & Security Studies Program at the University of Lynchburg. He said that DeSantis is joining a growing pool of folks bidding to represent the Republican party in this election - including former President Trump, Tim Scott, and Nikki Haley.

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The Florida Governor has made himself a household name by making headlines in recent years and Richards thinks that the causes he's fought for are going to be part of his story during his campaign. He thinks that he has some other qualities that at lest help him stand out next to President Biden and former President Trump.

"I think DeSantis brings a couple of things to the race that will be interesting and will be useful. One is he is, of course, a lot younger than Trump or Biden, he has been a successful governor of a swing state, and he has a story to tell," said Richards.

ABC13 asked Richards if DeSantis will have some questions to answer as far as running against a former ally in Trump, and he said that he doesn't think De Santis will have a problem answering this because he has shown that he has changed his mind on other things before.