Washington, United States 鈥斅燜lorida Governor Ron DeSantis, who was once the leading Republican rival to Donald Trump, ended his election campaign on Sunday and threw his support behind the former president.
DeSantis鈥檚 withdrawal, after months of weakening support, leaves only low-polling Nikki Haley standing between Trump and nomination as the Republican Party鈥檚 candidate for the US presidential election in November.
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In a video message, DeSantis said that following his second place last week in the Iowa caucuses, he could not 鈥渁sk our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources if we don鈥檛 have a clear path to victory. Accordingly, I am today suspending my campaign.鈥
The decision came less than two days before the New Hampshire primary, where polls showed him far behind front-runner Trump and former UN ambassador Haley.
鈥淚t鈥檚 clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,鈥 DeSantis said, noting he has had differences with the former president, notably over the coronavirus pandemic.
鈥淗e has my endorsement because we can鈥檛 go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear or a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents.鈥
Trump stormed to victory in Iowa last Tuesday, with 51 percent of Republican voters choosing the twice-impeached former president over DeSantis, who gained only 21 percent, and Haley at 19 percent.
No candidate has ever lost the race after claiming the first two states, and Trump would almost certainly declare the Republican nomination over with a win in New Hampshire.
His campaign said in a statement Sunday that he was 鈥渉onored鈥 by DeSantis鈥 endorsement and called for Republicans to rally behind him, dismissing Haley as 鈥渢he candidate of the globalists and Democrats.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 time to choose wisely,鈥 the statement said.
In her own statement, Haley warned that the United States is 鈥渘ot a country of coronations.鈥
鈥淪o far, only one state has voted. Half of its votes went to Donald Trump, and half did not 鈥 Voters deserve a say in whether we go down the road of Trump and Biden again, or we go down a new conservative road,鈥 she said.
Once a rising star
Many Republicans had pinned their hopes on DeSantis, who, at just 45, was embraced by some as a rising star of the right.
But his candidacy, announced at the end of May, struggled to establish itself as a threat to Trump, 77.
DeSantis, a former naval officer, was elected in 2018 as governor of Florida after receiving Trump鈥檚 valuable endorsement.
Since then, he often distanced himself from Trump and gained notoriety for hard-right stances on education, immigration, and LGBTQ issues.
His state management of the pandemic, pushing for a rapid reopening of the economy, and his opposition to the shutdowns of President Joe Biden鈥檚 administration made him an instant hit.
He then sought a national platform but appeared stiff and uneasy at candidate debates, media interviews, and voter events.
鈥淚鈥檓 glad that he鈥檚 dropped out. I think that it was inevitable,鈥 Lynne Mason, 60, who runs a small business in Keene, New Hampshire, told AFP.
鈥淲e need a strong leader right now, with the state of the United States at this point.鈥
At an event in Seabrook, New Hampshire, Haley said DeSantis 鈥渞an a great race, he鈥檚 been a good governor, and we wish him well.鈥
鈥淗aving said that, it鈥檚 now one fella and one lady,鈥 she continued. 鈥淭his comes down to 鈥榳hat do you want?鈥 Do you want more of the same, or do you want something new?鈥