With the date of the 2024 election creeping ever so closer, the candidates for each party is becoming more clear every day. One candidate that showed strong promise for the republican presidential nominee was Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. While DeSantis had been polling well, his numbers fell short of former president Donald Trump, who is still geared to be the next republican nominee.
With his poll numbers in mind and his 30 percentage point defeat to Trump in the Iowa Caucus, many were left questioning whether or not it was worth it for DeSantis to continue campaigning. So, on January 21st, Ron DeSantis posted a video where he said he would be “suspending his campaign,” as he saw no “clear path to victory.”
Ron DeSantis said he would be supporting former president Donald Trump, “I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee, and I will honor that pledge. He has my endorsement.”
Speaking of Donald Trump, the former president seemed to believe Ron DeSantis’s campaign would be over even before Ron DeSantis’s announcement on the 21st. In a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire only a day before DeSantis’s announcement Trump said “We’re leading here by a lot. Ron is probably finished. He’s probably finished. Sad. May he rest in peace.”
Ron DeSantis’s campaign suspension does bode well for former Governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley, who was only beaten by DeSantis in the Iowa caucus by 2.1 percent. Nikki Haley, a republican candidate who aligns more moderately, is aiming to take the New Hampshire primary happening today, January 23rd. In a recent poll Nikki Haley’s numbers still fell in comparison to Donald Trump’s, losing out by 22 percent.
Ron DeSantis’s campaign suspension may not have come to a surprise to many people, but its announcement has made an impact on voters and candidates alike. While Ron DeSantis may not be the republican’s nominee this year, he has stated he is looking forward and aims to try again in the 2028 presidential election.
