Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced his withdrawal from the Republican presidential race and declared his support for former President Donald Trump.
In a statement released on social media platform X, DeSantis expressed his decision to cease his primary campaign, citing the absence of a viable path to victory.
DeSantis, in a video message, stated, “If there was anything more I could do to yield a favorable outcome – more campaign stops, more interviews – I would.”
This announcement precedes the upcoming New Hampshire second-stage Republican primary, scheduled for next Tuesday (23rd).
In the Iowa caucus held last Monday (15th), DeSantis secured second place with 21.2% of the votes, while Trump led with 51%.
DeSantis remarked, “Trump surpasses the current President, Joe Biden. It’s evident. I’ve committed to supporting the Republican nominee and intend to honor this pledge.”
Last year, DeSantis was re-elected as Florida Governor by a margin of over 1.5 million votes, the largest in the state in over 40 years.
This victory had initially positioned him as a strong contender against Trump.
However, DeSantis’ appeal to the electorate fell short of expectations, leading to a decline in his standing compared to the former President.
Political analysts noted DeSantis’ challenge of competing with Trump for a similar voter base.
Race narrows down to Donald Trump and Nikki Haley
With DeSantis’ exit, the race narrows down to Donald Trump and Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina Governor and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
Haley is targeting moderate Republicans and those from higher socio-economic backgrounds.
Haley recently gained support from Chris Sununu, the popular anti-Trump New Hampshire Governor. Her campaigning efforts alongside Sununu have progressively narrowed her gap with Trump in polls.
After finishing third in Iowa, Haley declared the Republican race a “two-person contest,” referring to herself and Trump, effectively sidelining DeSantis from the equation.