Former front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, Ron DeSantis, pulled out of the race two days before the New Hampshire primary. The last remaining Republican contender vying to stop Trump from receiving the nomination is Nikki Haley, the former US president's rival.
DeSantis, 45, said in a video posted to X that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance. He added that he has his endorsement because we can't go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear: a re-packaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
- Winston Churchill pic.twitter.com/ECoR8YeiMm— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) January 21, 2024
The last Republican in the campaign attempting to prevent Trump from winning the nomination is Haley, the former US ambassador to the UN under Trump. November's general election will pit the victor of this year's Republican primary against the presumed Democratic contender, President Joe Biden. Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, shocked everyone by announcing that DeSantis had withdrawn during a campaign rally in Seabrook, New Hampshire.
One advantage for Haley is that Republican donors now have only a single candidate to support if they want to try and stop Trump, potentially allowing her to campaign beyond the Feb. 24 primary in her home state of South Carolina. But Trump may be getting the most out of the race.
In New Hampshire, nearly two-thirds of DeSantis supporters cite Trump as their second choice. Another critic in the Republican Party remained silent and endorsed Trump. Trump can say that the party will unite around him, and most DeSantis supporters are more likely to follow their candidate’s lead and support Trump than the more conservative Haley. Haley's case remains complicated and she will face immediate pressure to resign if she does not fare well in her home state of South Carolina.
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