Florida governor Ron DeSantis dropped out of the 2024 presidential race two days before the Grand Old Party (GOP) primary in New Hampshire.
“I am today suspending my campaign,” DeSantis said in a video posted to X on Jan. 21. He then went on to endorse the former president. “Trump is superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden. That is clear. I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee, and I will honor that pledge. He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear.”
DeSantis faced a 30 percentage point loss to Trump in the Iowa caucuses. An interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt revealed that this loss may have contributed to his decision to drop out.
“Look, my goal is to win the nomination. Had we won Iowa, we would have been in a great spot,” DeSantis said. “I don’t want to be VP, I don’t want to be in the cabinet, I don’t want a TV show. I’m in it to win it, and at some point if that’s not working out for you, I recognize that. This isn’t a vanity thing for me.”
This news came as a shock to many as DeSantis appeared to be the biggest threat to Trump’s reelection. The governor made a name for himself in late 2022 when he won re-election in Florida by nearly 20 percentage points. His handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and ruling on legislative matters such as abortion made him popular among conservatives.
“I thought he was going to go all the way,” Florida resident Taylor Brame, 24, told the New York Times. She moved to Florida during the pandemic as she was a fan of DeSantis’s minimal restrictions. “I moved across the country for him. I’m a little sad that he dropped out.”
According to the New York Times, public opinion surveys in Florida show that DeSantis’s job approval has fallen since he entered the presidential race.
Engineer and registered Democrat Rick Reikenis, 71, works in West Palm Beach and claims DeSantis spent too much time working on his presidential campaign and ignored important issues in Florida. “A lot more attention should have been paid to the insurance crisis than running for president,” Reikenis said. “Ron DeSantis won by a lot,” he added, referring to the 2022 governor’s race, “but I don’t think he’s popular.”
At a rally in New Hampshire, Trump praised his former rival. “I just want to thank Ron and congratulate him on doing a very good job. He was very gracious, and he endorsed me. I appreciate that, and I also look forward to working with Ron.” Trump went on to describe DeSantis as “a really terrific person.”
DeSantis’s departure leaves former governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley as the sole rival to former president Donald Trump.
“He ran a great race,” Hayley said at a campaign in New Hampshire. “He’s been a good governor, and we wish him well. Having said that, it’s now one fella and one lady left.”