Anti-LGBTQ+ Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has dropped out of the 2024 presidential raceand has endorsed former President Donald Trump.
The move took place Jan. 21two days before the New Hampshire primary, NBC News noted.
On a video on X (formerly Twitter), DeSantis said, "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. But I can't ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources. We don't have a clear path to victory. Accordingly, I am today suspending my campaign."
In backing Trump, DeSantis added, "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 [presidential candidate] Nikki Haley represents."
Haley reacted thusly: "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."
The governor tried to position himself as an alternative to Trump, but rarely disparaged the former president. Also, DeSantis' hard-right policies prompted moderate Republicans and independents to look elsewhere in their search for a direction away from Trump.
DeSantis has signed many anti-LGBTQ+ measures into law, including legislation restricting gender-affirming care and the state's notorious "Don't Say Gay" bill, The Advocate noted.
Andrew Davis