Miami Mayor Francis Suarez joins 2024 race. Here's why his GOP bid matters and how he could win

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez officially launched his 2024 presidential campaign Thursday, pitching himself to voters as a candidate focused on solutions, not divisiveness.

"In Miami, we stopped waiting for Washington to lead," Suarez said in his announcement video. "America's so-called leaders confuse being loud with actually leading."

But to win the Republican nomination, Suarez must beat back two other Floridians blocking his path to the presidency: former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Suarez has, in the past, placed himself at odds with the two GOP frontrunners.

In a crowded GOP primary field, Suarez' edge could be his vision for a "next-generation" GOP, with younger political leaders, "generational" solutions to long-lasting problems and a more diverse cast.

Another Floridian in the fight

With two high-profile Floridians leading the race, Suarez' presidential aspirations may be dashed from the start, according to Sean Feeder, a political science professor at the University of North Florida.

"Given how crowded the GOP primary field is, and how late his entrance is, I don’t think Suarez has a serious chance at the nomination in 2024," Feeder said. "Given that the two most high-profile candidates are also from Florida, he’ll have a difficult time leveraging even a home-field advantage."

Suarez announced his candidacy just days after Trump − the GOP frontrunner − was arraigned in federal court in the Miami mayor's city on charges linked to an investigation into the former president's handling of classified documents.

The Miami mayor was in the courtroom when the former president was arraigned, saying Thursday that Republicans are frustrated by the perception there is not an "equal administration of justice" in the U.S. But when pressed by ABC's George Stephanopoulos on the charges Trump faces, Suarez demurred.

"I think if we continue to have a conversation about the former president then the former president will be the nominee," he said on "Good Morning America."

Suarez also said the conversation around Trump's legal woes is not a "healthy" one for the country and that he wants his 2024 candidacy to be "positive and unifying and focused on a positive future for Americans.”