The Republican Party of Florida has revealed the lineup for the upcoming Florida primary ballot in March, featuring eight Republican candidates, including a last-minute surprise addition. The announcement came after the party's internal qualifying deadline had passed.

Among the candidates making it onto the ballot are North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former President Donald Trump.

Despite qualifying for the Florida primary, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) is not expected to appear on the ballot, according to the Republican Party of Florida. Scott recently ended his campaign abruptly.

A fresh face that caught many off guard is Ryan Binkley, a Dallas CEO and pastor who filed to be on the Florida ballot. Binkley's long-shot bid for the presidency began earlier this year, mostly self-financed, with federal campaign filings revealing expenditures of over $7 million by the end of September. Though he has made campaign appearances in early states like Iowa, Binkley remains relatively unknown to the public and has not gained much attention compared to other candidates such as Vivek Ramaswamy.

The Florida Freedom Summit, held earlier this month in Kissimmee, saw many GOP candidates vying to appear on the primary ballot. Notable appearances were made by Trump and DeSantis, who are both expected to attract significant support.

Nikki Haley, seen as one of the leading challengers to Trump, canceled her appearance at the Kissimmee event. As a result, she had to pay a substantial fee to qualify for the March 19 primary. Candidates who spoke at the summit paid a $25,000 qualifying fee, while those who did not appear were charged $100,000.

The winner-take-all Florida primary is scheduled after the early nominating states and Super Tuesday, placing it later on the calendar compared to Southern states like Alabama, Georgia, and Texas, as well as larger states like California.

In the previous Florida primary, held in 2016, Trump emerged as the clear victor, defeating Sen. Marco Rubio in his home state and ultimately prompting Rubio to drop out of the presidential race. Despite the inclusion of candidates like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who had already exited the race, Trump secured a resounding victory.

Under Florida law, parties have until November 30 to submit their list of primary candidates to state election officials. Candidates can withdraw from the primary ballot until December 12.

The Trump campaign has been openly taunting Gov. Ron DeSantis regarding the December deadline, urging him to withdraw from the ballot and avoid the potential embarrassment of losing his home state.

Initially, Florida Republicans planned to require GOP candidates to sign a loyalty pledge, committing to endorse the Republican nominee and refraining from running as a third-party or independent candidate. However, the pledge was abandoned in September after pressure from Trump supporters. Despite support from DeSantis' backers, party leaders decided to forgo the pledge.