Photo: Getty Images
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he's dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination in a video shared on his X account Sunday (January 21).
“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 if we don't have a clear path to victory. Accordingly, I am today suspending my campaign,” DeSantis said.
“Winston Churchill once remarked that success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts. While this campaign has ended, the mission continues down here in Florida. We will continue to show the country, how to lead. Thank you and God bless."
DeSantis was projected to have an average of 11.1% of Republican support, trailing former President Donald Trump (66.2%) and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (12.3%), according to FiveThirtyEight.com. The Florida governor endorsed Trump's campaign in his concession video after months of the former president attacking his longtime former political ally.
“I'm proud to have delivered on 100% of my promises and I will not stop now. It's clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance. ... While I've had disagreements with Donald Trump, such as on the coronavirus pandemic and his elevation of Anthony Fauci, Trump is superior to the current incumbent Joe Biden. That is clear," he said in his video on X.
“I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee and I will honor that pledge. He has my endorsement, because we can't go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear or repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents.”