DeSantis drops out of presidential race and endorses Trump

(Patria) - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis yesterday suspended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination ahead of the party primaries in New Hampshire.

DeSantis endorsed Donald Trump, ending a candidacy that failed to meet expectations of emerging as a serious challenger to the former president.

He was considered the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination and a natural successor to Trump due to his combative style and deeply conservative views.

In early 2023, he led Trump in several polls, reports RSE.

However, support for the Florida governor has been declining for months, both due to a flawed campaign strategy and Trump's influence over a large part of the party base.

"It is clear to me that most Republican voters in the primaries want to give Donald Trump another chance," DeSantis said in a video posted on social media X.

DeSantis also mocked former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who had long been his rival for second place in the primaries.

He stated that Republicans cannot return to the old Republican guard of past years, repackaged in the form of warmed-up corporatism that Haley represents.

The end of DeSantis's campaign means Haley is now the last Republican in the race with a chance, albeit not a large one, to deny Trump the nomination.

The winner of the Republican nomination contest will most likely face US President Joe Biden in the general election in November.

According to most opinion polls, more than 70 percent of Republicans have a positive opinion of Trump.

This put DeSantis in a position where he had to appeal to voters who still admired Trump, as well as those who passionately disliked him.

DeSantis failed to convince Trump's supporters that he was the better option, while Republicans who wanted to reject the former president divided their votes among multiple candidates.