Francis Suarez becomes first Republican to drop out of 2024 primary
The 2024 Republican field has officially shrunk by one.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez officially suspended his campaign on Tuesday after failing to make last week’s debate in Milwaukee, the first matchup of the GOP candidates onstage. His suspension came a day after an NBC News report detailed two sharp dropoffs in campaign spending following the announcement of Mr Suarez’s exclusion from the debate and the subsequent event itself.
“While I have decided to suspend my campaign for President, my commitment to making this a better nation for every American remains,” Mr Suarez said in a lengthy statement released on Twitter.
“Running for President of the United States has been one of the greatest honors of my life. This country has given so much to my family and me. The prospect of giving back at the highest levels of public service is a motivator if not a calling. Throughout this process, I have met so many freedom-loving Americans who care deeply about our nation, her people, and its future. It was a privilege to come so close to appearing on stage with the other candidates at last week’s first debate,” his statement continued.
Mr Suarez, the second-youngest prominent Republican in the race (and the youngest to actually serve in office), had branded himself as the face of a new generation of conservative state leaders in America. But he failed to gain traction in early primary states as well as in national polling, where he languished below the first primary debate threshold of one percent for months.
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