Two years ago, just a couple months into his rookie term, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis said he had no higher plan.

“Guys who come here and try to plan how they are going to, kind of, advance up the ladder — that is not really me,” the Republican from Ponte Vedra Beach told the Hill newspaper. “That is not saying that I would never do anything or that I could not do something. But when you start doing that, you start making decision based on these hypothetical things in the future.”

Now because of the planning by Sen. Marco Rubio, DeSantis has his chance.

He’ll announce his campaign for Rubio’s seat, becoming the first notable Republican to enter the race following a string would-be candidates taking a pass.

“As a candidate for Senate, I look forward to offering reforms based on limited government principles that will make our country stronger and more prosperous. I see a bright future for Florida and for America and my campaign will be about the ideas and principles that will help us achieve a more perfect union,” DeSantis said in a statement first obtained by the Associated Press.

By his own telling, he’s got quite the background.

“Ron DeSantis is a native Floridian of humble beginnings who knows the value of hard work. To put himself through school, he performed every odd job imaginable -- sweeping floors, collecting trash, moving furniture, parking cars, serving as an electrician’s assistant, and coaching baseball clinics,” reads his official Congressional bio. “He earned a bachelor of arts, magna cum laude, and was the captain of the varsity baseball team at Yale University. He also graduated with honors from Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, Ron earned a commission in the United States Navy as a JAG officer.”

“During his active duty Navy service, he served as a military prosecutor, supported operations at the terrorist detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and deployed to Iraq during the 2007 troop surge as an advisor to a U.S. Navy SEAL commander in support of counterinsurgency operations in Iraq. He has also performed duties as a federal prosecutor, taught courses on military law, and written on constitutional issues.”

But here are the downsides.

No one really knows DeSantis, which isn’t an insurmountable problem, especially given no one really knows the leading Democrat, Rep. Patrick Murphy. Other Republicans considering the race, chiefly Bill McCollum and Carlos Lopez-Cantera, have higher profiles. Rep. Jeff Miller, who heads the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, is also looking to enter the race.

DeSantis’ conservative voting record would help against those primary opponents, and a number of outside groups, including Club for Growth, will be standing by with financial support.

But DeSantis’ record could be a challenge in the general election. DeSantis is very conservative; he once voted against aid for Hurricane Sandy victims, for example.

Unlike Rubio, DeSantis will be competing in a presidential election and Democrats actually turnout voters. Rubio also benefitted from a three-way race with Democrat Kendrick Meek and Independent Charlie Crist; it’s highly unlikely a similar scenario will emerge.