2024 Presidential candidate profile: Ron DeSantis
From the A look at some of the 2024 presidential candidates series
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has formally entered the Republican presidential primary contest. As of now, he is considered former President Donald Trump’s strongest GOP rival in the crowded 2024 contest, but many voters are only starting to get to know the 44-year-old governor. A Florida native with family roots in the Midwest, DeSantis was a standout baseball player in his younger years. He represented the Dunedin, Florida, squad in the 1991 Little League World Series before becoming the captain of Yale University’s team. After a short stint teaching high school, he went on to Harvard Law School. He then became a Navy Judge Advocate General officer, a position that took him to Iraq and the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.