Ron DeSantis drops out of US presidential race
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has ended his Republican United States presidential campaign
DeSantis’s decision comes less than two days before the New Hampshire primary, in which polls showed him far behind frontrunner Trump.
When DeSantis entered the 2024 presidential contest, early primary polls suggested he was in a strong position to beat Trump
He said “It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,”
“I just want to thank Ron and congratulate him on doing a very good job,” Trump said
I appreciate that, and I also look forward to working with Ron.” Trump described DeSantis as “a really terrific person”.
The Florida governor built a campaign war chest well in excess of $100m
DeSantis struggled to find his footing in the primary. He lost the Iowa caucuses which he had vowed to win by 30 percentage points to Trump, just ahead of Haley.
DeSantis and Haley frequently attacked each other in debates and in advertising, often more directly than they did Trump.
David Kochel, a Republican strategist said DeSantis’s exit was unlikely to change the basic contours of the campaign.
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