Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Drops Out Of Presidential Race

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who entered the 2024 presidential race with a bankroll rivaling that of coup-attempting former President Donald Trump, dropped his bid for the GOP nomination on Sunday — and endorsed Trump on his way out.

“Nobody worked harder and we left it all out on the field,” DeSantis said in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, before going on to say, “If there was anything I could do to produce a favorable outcome ― more campaign stops, more interviews ― I would do it.”

“But I can’t ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources if we don’t have a clear path to victory. Accordingly, I am today suspending my campaign.”

DeSantis then added that he was backing Trump over former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, the remaining major candidate in the race.

“It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,” he said, adding, “He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear, a repackaged form of warmed over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents.”

At a campaign stop in Seabrook, New Hampshire, Haley acknowledged DeSantis’ announcement.

“I want to say to Ron, he ran a great race. He’s been a good governor, and we wish him well. Having said that, it’s now one fella and one lady left,” she said.

The announcement comes just days after DeSantis claimed he had gotten his “ticket punched” to continue his campaign despite finishing a distant second to Trump in the Iowa caucuses. Late polls in that state showed that DeSantis could finish third behind Haley. When DeSantis ultimately finished just two percentage points ahead of her, he tried to spin it as a victory ― even though he had previously said he