FLORIDA, Jan. 21, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Sunday suspended his campaign for the Republican nomination for president, and threw his support behind frontrunner former President Donald Trump.
“Over the past many months, (wife) Casey and I have traveled across the country to deliver a message of hope that decline is a choice and that we can, in fact, succeed again as a nation,” DeSantis said in a video posted on X, shared below.
“Nobody worked harder. And we left it all out on the field. Now following our second place finish in Iowa, we’ve prayed and deliberated on the way forward. If there was anything I could do to produce a favorable outcome, more campaign stops, more interviews, I would do it. We 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 said “It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance. They watch his presidency get stymied by relentless resistance, and they see Democrats using ‘lawfare’ this day to attack him.
“While I’ve had disagreements with Donald Trump, such as on the coronavirus pandemic and his elevation of Anthony Fauci, Trump is superior to the current incumbent Joe Biden. That is clear. I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee and I will honor that pledge.”
DeSantis dismissed candidate Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor and former ambassador to the United Nations, whom he said “represents the days of putting Americans last,” adding the days “of kowtowing to large corporations, of caving to woke ideology are over.”
He thanked his volunteers and family members for their support and hard work, and said his mission of public service would continue in his job as governor.
“Winston Churchill once remarked that Success is not final, failure is not fatal,” DeSantis said. “It is the courage to continue that counts. While this campaign has ended, the mission continues down here in Florida. We will continue to show the country how to lead. Thank you and God Bless.”
