The Florida firebrand had sought to position himself as an alternative to Trump,minus the baggage,but was unable to peel away many of Trump’s supporters,who viewed him as disloyal for running against Trump.
“People don’t want a tribute band if the real band is still touring,” political analyst Juan Williams said.
He was also a culture wars warrior who took on “woke” Disney and championed so-called “don’t say gay” laws in Florida,but his message struggled to resonate on the national stage and his embrace of hard-right policies put off moderate Republicans and independents.
Shortly before his announcement,a CNN/University of New Hampshire poll had DeSantis polling at only 6 per cent in Tuesday’s primary race,compared with Trump at 50 per cent and Haley in second place at 39 per cent.
In a statement,the Trump campaign said it was “honoured” by DeSantis’ endorsement and that “it is now time for all Republicans to rally behind President Trump to defeat Crooked Joe Biden and end his disastrous presidency”.
Haley also wished DeSantis well but rejected DeSantis’ categorisation of her as a lie.
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“I’m used to people underestimating me. It’s always fun,” the former South Carolina governor told CNN. “But there were 14 people in this race,and now they are two. I’m gonna finish this.”
DeSantis came second in Iowa after narrowly edging out Haley,but was still 30 percentage points behind Trump,who captured about 50 per cent of about 110,000 registered Republicans.
His performance was particularly disappointing as he had invested most of his campaign funds into wooing evangelical and rural voters in that state,hoping it would build momentum for the next round of primary races – and,eventually,the party’s nomination to run for the White House.
After Iowa,DeSantis insisted he would continue to fight on,but his campaign showed ominous signs over the past few days. For instance,his fundraising super PAC,Never Back Down,laid off staff last week and DeSantis cancelled several media appearances that he had initially booked for Sunday,citing scheduling issues.
“If there was anything I could do to produce a favourable outcome – more campaign stops more interviews – I would do it,” DeSantis said as he explained his decision.
“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.”
With DeSantis largely missing in action in New Hampshire,both Haley and Trump spent the week intensifying their attacks against each other.Haley hit out at her 77-year-old rival’s age and ability to do the job,while Trump had politicians from her home state taking swipes at her or endorsing him.
Among them was another former candidate for the Republican nomination,South Carolina senator Tim Scott,who appeared at a Trump rally and called for the party to get behind the former president. This was a blow for Haley,who appointed Scott to the Senate when she was governor,and had sought his endorsement.
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Trump is the first choice for 50 per cent of likely Republican primary voters,widening his lead over Haley,who has 39 per cent support,according to the final CNN/University of New Hampshire poll.
But other polls have Haley neck and neck with Trump,and in a statement,she noted:“So far,only one state has voted. Half of its votes went to Donald Trump and half did not.
“We’re not a country of coronations. Voters deserve a say in whether we go down the road of Trump and Biden again,or we go down a new conservative road.”
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