Once touted as the natural successor and alternative to Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has dropped out of the race to become the presidential nominee for the Republican Party, leaving former President Trump and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley as the last two major candidates.
In a video posted on his social media page announcing the end of his campaign, DeSantis said, “It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance.”
Despite facing myriad court cases launched primarily by Democratic Party aligned prosecutors, Trump has been leading opinion polls for many months, and easily beat his Republican rivals in the Iowa caucuses, the first of many Republican contests last week. He is also projected to win the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, January 23rd, and will likely go on to become the presidential candidate. No candidate has ever lost the race after claiming the first two states.
Though they frequently attacked each other on the campaign trail, 45-year-old Ron DeSantis endorsed Trump to be the candidate, saying:
We can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear or a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents. The days of putting Americans last, of kowtowing to large corporations, of caving to woke ideology, are over.
DeSantis said that despite his disagreements with Trump, such as the handling of the COVID pandemic, “Trump is superior” to President Joe Biden.
In the governor’s office since 2019, DeSantis has been admired by Republicans all across the nation for his tough stance on issues important to many conservatives, like abortion and the teaching of race and gender issues in schools. In 2022 he signed a bill into law prohibiting discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in school classrooms from kindergarten to grade 3. After The Walt Disney Company called for the law to be repealed, DeSantis stripped the company of control of a special district that covers its Walt Disney World.
Presumably referencing that legal battle, Democratic senator from Pennsylvania, John Fetterman took aim at DeSantis, posting a picture of Mickey Mouse, Disney’s most well-known cartoon character with a crown on his head, writing: “You come at the king, you best not miss.” Comments on that post mocked Fetterman by pointing out that it easily could mean that Trump is ‘king,’ rather than Disney.
Despite polls in 2023 that suggested DeSantis could defeat Trump in the primaries, his campaign and his appearances have not persuaded enough conservative voters. Analysts point to a flawed campaign strategy, his lack of ease with voters on the campaign trail, and struggles with staffing and messaging strategies.
Republican Senator from Ohio, J. D. Vance said DeSantis “is a very good governor, and he’ll have a bright future if he recognizes what many of us recognized months ago: Trump will be our nominee and the most useful thing all of us can do is focus on beating Joe Biden.”
Refusing to stand down, Nikki Haley showed no signs of ending her campaign, saying, “It’s now one fella and one lady left.”
However, the majority of DeSantis’ supporters will most likely flock to Trump after DeSantis’ endorsement. In New Hampshire, about two-thirds of DeSantis backers cite Trump as their second choice, according to Andrew Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.
At a Sunday evening rally in Rochester, New Hampshire, Trump praised DeSantis and said he was looking forward to working together to defeat President Joe Biden. In a separate statement, the Trump campaign said:
Nikki Haley is the candidate of the globalists and Democrats who will do everything to stop the America First movement. From higher taxes, to decimating Social Security and Medicare, and to open borders, she represents the views of Democrats more than the views of Republicans. It’s time to choose wisely.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden will also contest the first of many Democratic primaries in New Hampshire on Tuesday, but the president is expected to secure the Democratic Party nomination easily, as he currently holds a commanding 60% margin lead over his two rivals, author Marianne Williamson and Congressman Dean Phillips.
