DeSantis team release teaser video ahead of expected 2024 presidential campaign launch

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — After months of speculation, Governor Ron DeSantis is just hours away from the biggest announcement of his political career.

DeSantis is expected to file with the Federal Elections Commission on Wednesday, officially entering the 2024 presidential election.

It will be followed by a live Twitter podcast at 6 p.m. with Twitter CEO and billionaire Elon Musk.

The governor has raised tens of millions of dollars instantly making him a GOP front-runner, and late Tuesday, his team released a 30-second teaser video.

Republican strategist on DeSantis' next steps following announcement

As the field of Republican candidates takes shape, experts agree the governor is the biggest threat to former President Trump, who currently leads in most early polls.

“I believe that Gov. DeSantis and former President Trump would both be neck and neck from now to literally March 19th," said Republican Strategist Sid Dinerstein, who served as the Palm Beach County GOP Chair for a decade.

Dinerstein adds, "I think the governor is in better shape than everybody thinks he is. There are two particular reasons for this. There’s a significant share of Republicans across this country who know almost nothing about him, other than Florida’s doing great, he’s the governor, and he got re-elected by this huge amount."

See also: Florida Gov. DeSantis to announce bid for White House, according to report

But the party could be split, as Republican loyalists are hesitant to abandon Trump.

According to Dinerstein, DeSantis’ biggest strengths are his family values and his military background. If he were advising the 44-year-old Harvard grad, he would tell him to not only visit states where the primary election will begin next year, but also pick issues that go with unique problems that certain states are having right now.

“North Carolina has had the state declare an emergency by their Democratic governor because the Republican passed a school choice bill. He needs to talk about school choice. He needs to say, ‘This is what we did in Florida. This is what we did after that,’ explained Dinerstein. “I would go to Arizona and do election integrity that we did here. They’re still fighting the Kari Lake battle. I would go to California and talk about crime and talk about why we do it differently here.”

This year, the governor has signed a series of bills into law, proving he holds a conservative agenda and make up what he called the Florida Blueprint.

“I would strongly advise him [DeSantis] not to say nothing bad about Trump," said Dinerstein. "You can’t outdo Trump on the negative side. It’s not a fight you can win. But more importantly, it’s not a fight you should want, and it's not a fight the country wants.”

Recent polls show Gov. DeSantis has a better shot at beating President Biden in a presidential election. But whether that helps him in winning the primary, remains to be seen.