Ron DeSantis addresses a crowd while President Donald Trump watches at a rally in Tampa, Florida, on July 31, 2018 – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by jctabb
Just before the New Hampshire primary and almost a week after coming in second in the Iowa caucus, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the suspension of his 2024 presidential campaign.
“I’m proud to have delivered on 100 percent of my promises, and I will not stop now. It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,” DeSantis said on Sunday.
Even though DeSantis acknowledged that he and Trump do not always agree, the governor of Florida maintained that the former president is still better than incumbent Joe Biden and supported Trump going ahead.
DeSantis further stated that Republicans “can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear, a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents,” about his closest opponent for second place in the primary.
Just a few days have passed since DeSantis narrowly defeated Haley to take second place in the Iowa caucuses, prompting his campaign suspension. Despite surveys showing him losing to Haley, according to DeSantis, a wave of young voters who believed he would be the party’s future leader propelled him to victory.
Nevertheless, Trump received over 51 percent of the vote in Iowa.
“I thank all of our passionate supporters who have stood by us through it all,” DeSantis said on Sunday.
“That we had people volunteer to come to Iowa in the middle of a blizzard to knock on doors and make phone calls touched us dearly.”
“While this campaign has ended, the mission continues. Down here in Florida, we will continue to show the country how to lead,” DeSantis said.
According to Aubrey Jewett, a professor of political science at UCF, not many people are shocked by the announcement.
“I think the governor and his team decided, look, the handwriting on the wall, we’re polling at about five or six percent in New Hampshire. We’re running a distant third in South Carolina. It’s just not going to happen for us,” he said.
Jewett stated that it depends on the situation when asked if DeSantis’s next run may be stronger.
“I think it’s possible that his time was now, and he’s blown it. But on the other hand, history suggests that you can run, you can lose, and you can come back again,” he said. “I think that’s the more likely scenario for our governor. I don’t know that DeSantis for sure is going to win in the future, but I think he’ll try, and he’ll be competitive.”
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Born and raised in South Florida, Krystal is a recent graduate from the University of Miami with professional writing experience at the collegiate and national news outlet levels. She’s a foodie who loves all things travel, the beach, & visiting new places throughout Florida.