Gov. Ron DeSantis officially dropped his bid for the 2024 Republican Presidential nomination Sunday.
DeSantis broke the news the same way he came into the race: with a post on the social media platform X. The white flag wave comes after the governor finished in a distant second during the Iowa Caucus last Monday and looked to be headed for a third place finish in New Hampshire this week.
In his four-minute concession speech, DeSantis thanked his supporters, but said he did not believe there was a path to victory for him in the race.
“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 or donate their resources if we don’t have a clear path to victory,” he said.
As he threw in the towel, DeSantis also officially endorsed former President Donald Trump. While he said the two have differences, he said it is clear most Republicans support the former president over former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and other candidates.
“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,” DeSantis said.
While DeSantis’ national aspirations have fizzled for now, he is still set to remain Florida’s governor until January 2027. He held a tight leash over the Florida legislative process while he was building his national profile but has loosened the reigns during this year’s session. Now that his race is over, the biggest question mark is what role he will wield in Tallahassee.
Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said she expects DeSantis to push the same culture war policies that catapulted him into the national spotlight, but it rests in the hands of Republican lawmakers on what impact that has on the state.
“The reason we are where we are today is because he pushed these policies, but the legislators are the one that gave it to him. It will be a question of whether they will stand up to him when he comes home, or are they going to continue dancing to the fiddle?” Fried said.
As they shift their endorsements to Trump, Florida Republican officials have signaled continued support for DeSantis. Florida House Speaker Paul Renner levied high praise at the Governor in a statement shortly after his withdrawal.
“There is no greater governor in America than Ron DeSantis. I am proud to have fought alongside him to achieve major policy victories, and I look forward to his continued leadership for our great state of Florida and our country,” Renner said.