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Ron DeSantis Ends Presidential Bid: What Went Wrong?

Teguan Harris
Ron DeSantis raises his arm while speaking at a podium.

Teguan Harris

Announcing his departure from the race on X (previously known as Twitter), Ron DeSantis backed Donald Trump as the Republican nominee. 

DeSantis Ends His Campaign

The Florida governor suspended his campaign after losing to Trump in the Iowa primary, only narrowly defeating the last remaining opponent, Nikki Haley.

With DeSantis having ended his campaign, rivals Trump and Haley went head-to-head in the New Hampshire primary, gaining 54.3 and 43.2 per cent of the vote respectively.

In a video posted on X, DeSantis announced his campaign suspension, stating:

“If there was anything I could do to produce a favourable 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 if we don’t have a clear path to victory.”

“Accordingly, I am today suspending my campaign.”

Noting his differences with Trump, he said:

“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 honour that pledge.”

Endorsing Trump without falling short of criticising his other rival Nikki Haley, DeSantis said:

“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.”

Delay In The Campaign

In early 2023, DeSantis was scoring around 35 per cent in the polls, within reach of his only formal opponent, Donald Trump.

But by delaying the official launch of his campaign to raise money to fund his efforts, DeSantis lost the momentum he had gathered in his record re-election victory as Florida governor the previous November.

By the time he launched his formal campaign in May, DeSantis had wasted crucial months, allowing Trump to rebuild his image as a shunned politician in light of his numerous legal battles.

David Kochel, a long-time Iowa Republican strategist, told the BBC: “The campaign started pretty late, [and] raised a ton of money obviously. But by then Trump was going at him hammer and tong. I don’t know that they had effective responses. I think it took them a while to engage.”

DeSantis Against Trump

When DeSantis launched his campaign last May he promised his supporters ‘the Great American Comeback’.

Though he got off to a great start at the beginning of 2023, by the time he formally announced his bid for the White House via a disastrous interview with Elon Musk, DeSantis dropped to just 20 per cent in the polls, behind Trump’s sizeable 50.

DeSantis’ downfall appeared not to be his campaign, but his opposition.

DeSantis was not just running against Trump himself; the campaign faced a candidate with recognition, reputation, money, and loyal voters.

Speaking to the BBC, New Hampshire-based Republican strategist Matthew Bartlett said DeSantis could not compete against a figure who enjoyed such unwavering support from his followers.

“He has been their political identity, and maybe even personal identity, for the better part of a decade.”

“It seems like every time Trump was indicted, his poll numbers went up.”

Arguably, DeSantis’ strategy not to criticise Trump on his legal battles significantly weakened his campaign.

Donald Trump is currently facing 91 felony counts across four prosecutions. However, DeSantis has consistently backed Trump’s claims that he is being unfairly targeted.

Timothy Hagle, Political Science Professor at the University of Iowa, explained to the BBC: “It seems like every time [Mr. Trump] was indicted, his poll numbers went up.

“And to some extent, that’s not surprising, because it’s kind of a ‘rally around the chief’ effect.”

Despite DeSantis’ loyalty regarding Trump’s indictments, the former president showed no mercy when it came to trash-talking his Republican opponent.

Among Trump’s favourite nicknames for DeSantis are ‘Ron DeSanctimonious’, ‘Tiny D’, ‘Ron Dishonest’ and ‘Meatball Ron’.

Trump even went as far as accusing DeSantis of wearing high heels to mask his real height.

Though he couldn’t beat Trump in the polls, DeSantis has since exercised some power over his former rival, vetoing a bill which would have used his home state of Florida’s funds to pay off the ex-POTUS’s legal bills.

What Now?

Just days after DeSantis suspended his campaign, the remaining candidates Trump and Haley went head-to-head in the New Hampshire primary.

Despite Haley’s substantial investment in the state, Trump bagged another victory, gaining 54.3 per cent of the vote compared to Haley’s 43.2.

Now campaigning alone against an ex-president, many expect Nikki Haley to suspend her own campaign for nominee.

Nonetheless, Haley has hinted that she will stay in the race, at least until the primary in her home state of South Carolina on February 24.

As Trump remains ahead in the polls, Haley has teased those following the nomination race, writing on X: “Underestimate me, that’s always fun.”

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Featured image courtesy of Gage Skidmore via Flickr. No changes were made to the image. Image licence found here.

Writer and journalist. University graduate in English Literature. Book reader, word lover and Notion enthusiast.

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