DeSantis Drops Out, Trump wins NH, and the Growing Democrat Rebuttal to Biden
Image from: Michael Dwyer/AP
The presidential race for 2024 is picking up speed. On Sunday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suspended his presidential campaign, ending an underwhelming bid against former President Trump. With DeSantis retaining only around 10% national support, he recognized that there was no path to victory for him in the 2024 election.
It’s important to highlight the nuances between a candidate “suspending” a campaign and “ending” it. The former allows a candidate to keep fundraising to settle campaign debts, compensate contractors or consultants, and, significantly, retain any accrued delegates for the Party’s nominating convention.
DeSantis Presidential Race Has Run Out of Speed
“I’m proud to have delivered 100% of my promises, and I will not stop now,” said DeSantis in a message posted on X. “It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance…I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee, and I will honor that pledge.” DeSantis wasted no time in immediately throwing his support behind Donald Trump in the presidential race, as has also recently been done by Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Tim Scott.
Once seen by many as Trump’s likely successor, the Florida governor has now endorsed the frontrunner, referring to former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Trump’s last-standing rival, as a relic of an outdated Republican Party. With Trump’s complete dominance over the rest of the Republican primary field, the failed candidates are incentivized to back him out of sheer pragmatism. Getting behind Trump is the only way for his one-time opponents to stay in the good graces of the Party’s standard bearer.
Trump Wins New Hampshire
Last night in the New Hampshire Republican primary, Donald Trump defeated his only remaining opponent, Nikki Haley, by 11 points. This defeat for Haley may have been the final nail in the coffin for her presidential race campaign, as the primaries are looking to be a clean sweep for the former president. A win in New Hampshire had been the former South Carolina Governor’s only potential path to victory, but the Republican voters seem to have chosen their champion to take on President Biden in November.
Haley’s chances of winning New Hampshire may have been overemphasized by pundits, largely due to the fact that Republicans in the granite state are a little more moderate than those in the rest of the country. Ultimately, Haley walked away with only one-quarter of registered Republican support, but did earn around 60% backing from Independents.
Trump, for his part, did not get the landslide victory his camp was hoping for but still crossed the finish line with nearly 55% of the vote. Being that New Hampshire has been seen as his weakest state in the primary elections, this result nearly guarantees that he will secure the nomination.
Dean Phillips Challenges Biden In Presidential Race
The Democratic primary race has been shaken up recently by the entrance of U.S. Representative Dean Phillips (D-MN) to challenge the President of the United States. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, Phillips has gained so much traction that he earned roughly 20% support in New Hampshire last night, with the various other candidates carrying nearly 30% support.
“The polls are saying he [Joe Biden] cannot win, his approval numbers are saying he can’t win,” Phillips said yesterday evening in New Hampshire. “We’re going to go to South Carolina, to Michigan, and 47 other states.”
President Biden did not appear on New Hampshire’s ballot, instead only gaining votes through write-ins. This likely took away a fair amount of his support, but nonetheless, he only gained a dismal 51% of the vote to win.
The story of Democrat voters is getting more interesting this race. President Biden’s weaknesses stand out as he heads into a November’s rematch against Donald Trump. Talks of replacing VP Kamala Harris are also gaining traction. The 2024 Presidential race is far from over.
Brandon Goldman is the Chief Development Officer for American Daily Press and is based outside of Boston, MA