Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ended his presidential campaign on Sunday, January 21 by endorsing Donald Trump.
DeSantis withdrew from the presidential race just two days before the crucial New Hampshire primary, leaving former ambassador Nikki Haley as Trump’s last rival for the Republican Party nomination.
The withdrawal set up a head-to-head confrontation between Haley and Trump, despite his four criminal prosecutions to which he has pleaded not guilty.
However, it seems that DeSantis supporters are more likely to side with Trump than with Haley. The withdrawing candidate endorsed Trump in a video posted on X:
He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear: a re-packaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents.
According to polls, Trump has a double-digit lead over Haley in New Hampshire, also leading in South Carolina, which holds voting on February 24.
DeSantis was considered a top contender for the presidency early last year, leading several opinion polls against Trump. However, his support dropped for several months due to a flawed campaign strategy.
According to most surveys, over 70% of Republicans view Trump favourably. DeSantis has failed to explain to most Trump supporters why he is the best option, while Republicans who want to oust the former president have split their votes among several candidates.
Several DeSantis allies said the governor waited too long before entering the race, which made him vulnerable to sharp attacks from Trump, who announced his campaign more than six months ago.
