In a surprising turn of events, Ron DeSantis has announced the suspension of his political campaign, marking the end of a journey that began with aspirations and promise. Once seen as the most formidable opponent to Donald Trump in the Republican presidential primary, he suspended his campaign Sunday, January 21, and endorsed the former president.
DeSantis sought to position himself as an alternative to Trump, trying to cast himself as a politically successful heir to the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement and its preferred policies without Trump’s baggage. But in his bid to court Trump’s supporters, DeSantis was slow to meaningfully criticize the former president and was unable to peel away enough of his support. DeSantis’ embrace of hard-right policies also led moderate Republicans and independents to look elsewhere in their search for a candidate that could steer the GOP in a different direction from Trump.
In the early stages of his campaign, DeSantis experienced notable successes that garnered attention and support. He came in second in Iowa on Monday, but his campaign sent mixed signals to voters, donors, and lower-level aides, creating confusion about his intentions for the rest of the campaign.
He went directly to South Carolina from Iowa, apparently to bolster his insistence that he would stay in the race at least until that state’s late-February primary. However, he bounced back and forth between South Carolina and New Hampshire, scheduling events in the Granite State with little warning for supporters and undecided voters who wanted to see him before last Tuesday’s primary. He also quietly returned to Florida on the previous Thursday with no public explanation.
He canceled appearances on Sunday-morning television programs — including NBC’s “Meet the Press” — late last Saturday. The campaign also told surrogates to stand down from planned television appearances last Sunday, according to one of the surrogates. By Sunday morning, advisers and donors said they did not know whether he would drop out — but had begun speculating that he would. A source familiar with DeSantis’ campaign said he made the decision to exit the race last Sunday afternoon.
DeSantis’ decision came as a sudden surprise to allies at Never Back Down, the pro-DeSantis super PAC (Political Action Meeting) that cannot coordinate with the governor’s campaign. One official with the PAC was New Hampshire-bound for more DeSantis events as the news broke.
“Do you think I’d be going there if I thought otherwise?” the official said when asked if they had heard rumblings of a DeSantis dropout. Trump and his allies began dropping hints that a DeSantis withdrawal was imminent Saturday night, with Trump saying as much at a rally in Manchester.
“We might get Ron DeSantis back onside pretty soon,” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., a Trump backer who was close to the governor before the 2024 campaign began, said Sunday. DeSantis entered the Republican presidential race with an impressive political operation and widespread popularity in the party after achieving a blowout 2022 re-election win in Florida, which had for decades been one of the most tightly divided states in the nation.
But the momentum DeSantis had at the start dissipated amid relentless attacks from the Trump machine as well as his own missteps. The pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc. spent over $10 million attacking DeSantis before he even announced his candidacy for president, according to campaign finance records. The early ad campaign slashed at the Florida governor with TV spots criticizing votes he took in Congress on Social Security, Medicare, and taxes, and it didn’t let up. MAGA Inc. spent more than $23 million on anti-DeSantis advertising, campaign finance records show — and the super PAC backing former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley spent even more hitting DeSantis as they began clashing in Iowa in the fall.
DeSantis made the announcement in a video on X, two days before the New Hampshire primary. “Now, following our second-place finish in Iowa, we’ve prayed and deliberated on the way forward,” he said. “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.”
“It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,” he said, adding: “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.”
In the aftermath of the suspension, DeSantis expressed gratitude to his supporters, acknowledging their dedication and commitment. The decision to suspend a political campaign is never easy, and it often prompts reflection on the challenges inherent in the political process. DeSantis’ experience underscores the complexities candidates face, from the initial aspirations of making a difference to the pragmatic decisions that shape their political journeys. DeSantis has three years remaining in his second and final term as the governor of Florida.
