Florida governor Ron DeSantis is dropping out of the Republican presidential race two days before the New Hampshire primary, he announced Sunday.
DeSantis in a social media video said he no longer has "a clear path to victory."
"If there was anything I could do to produce a favorable outcome—more campaign stops, more interviews—I would do it," he said. "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."
'Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
- Winston Churchill pic.twitter.com/ECoR8YeiMm
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) January 21, 2024
DeSantis's announcement comes after a second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, which saw former president Donald Trump defeat the governor by 30 points. DeSantis in his suspension speech endorsed Trump, giving the former president a boost ahead of the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.
"While I have 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," DeSantis said. "I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee and I will honor that pledge."
DeSantis's exit from the primary makes it a two-person race between Trump and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. An American Research Group poll released one week before the New Hampshire primary showed Trump and Haley each with 40 percent support in the Granite State.