Ron DeSantis, the current governor of Florida, dropped out of the 2024 Republican presidential primary election for the. This announcement was made on Sunday, Jan. 21, during a press conference at the Florida Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee, Florida. Not only did DeSantis drop out of the election, but Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out of the race as well. This leaves former President Donald Trump and Nikki Haley left in the Republican presidential primary election.
“I think that these decisions helped Trump quite a bit,” said Axel Hawkins, a junior history major. “Not only did both Ramaswamy and DeSantis endorse Trump personally, but their voters had already indicated they would prefer Trump to Nikki Haley. I think that, although they were certainly major decisions, it does not affect the outcome of the race at all. It only makes the inevitable fact that Trump is going to win the Republican nomination more likely.”
DeSantis’ dropping out of the race came as a shock to some because he had been exploring the possibility of a presidential run for a long time.DeSantis placed a distant second in Iowa, as he lost to Trump by 30 points. It appears that DeSantis does not think he can beat Trump.
Compared to his competitors, Ramaswamy was not as well known when he first entered the race back in February 2023, but his campaign principles aligned with Trump’s. With a similar ideology and less social stigma, he was a major competitor of Trump’s in the race.
“Both DeSantis and Ramaswamy were pulling support from those Republican primary voters most likely to support Trump,” said Scott Buchanan, Department of Government and Sociology chair and political science professor at GC. “So, with the two of them officially out of the race, this helps Trump the most.”
Ramaswamy came in fourth place in the Iowa caucus and wanted to suspend his presidential campaign. After doing so, he immediately endorsed Trump.
He clung close to Trump and made clear that he would support another Trump campaign despite the former president’s pending felony accusations and charges. Trump will likely pick up the majority of Ramaswamy’s supporters, but Haley now has a better chance of competing with him.
“If Haley cannot win South Carolina later in February, her chances of securing the nomination become extremely unlikely, barring Trump exiting the race for some reason, and there is absolutely no indication that Trump would ever do so,” Buchanan said.
Haley now holds a chance in the race against Trump.
“I think Nikki Haley is in this race for the long run,” said Colin Hall, a senior political science major. “I think she has a real uphill battle to win the nomination. However, there is a lot of uncertainty considering the legal cases that the former president is facing.”
DeSantis was seen as a strong figure in the conservative wing of the GOP. With him leaving the race, loyal Republican voters will likely look to Trump or Haley. The withdrawals of DeSantis and Ramaswamy is an opportunity for a deeper assessment of the remaining candidates and their possible impact on the nation’s future.
