Ron DeSantis suspends 2024 campaign, backs Trump for Republican nomination

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended his 2024 bid Sunday morning after failing to gain enough traction in the GOP field.

“Following our second place finish in Iowa, we’ve prayed and deliberated on the way forward. If there was anything I could do to produce a favorable outcome — more campaign stops, more interviews, I would do it,” DeSantis announced in a video address.

“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.”

DeSantis said although he has had disagreements with former President Donald Trump, “he is superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden.”

He said he is endorsing Trump because “we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear” that rival “Nikki Haley represents.”

Speculation about DeSantis ending his campaign was fueled by his low polling numbers in New Hampshire — averaging in the single digits against Trump and Haley — and his super PAC Never Back Down cancelling events before the primary on Tuesday.

This is a developing story.