Ron DeSantis Ends Presidential Campaign

Gov. Ron DeSantis “is expected to suspend his campaign for president imminently,” the New York Times reports.

“His decision, expected to be made public before the New Hampshire primary election on Tuesday, marks a spectacular implosion for a candidate once seen as having the best chance to dethrone Donald Trump as the Republican Party’s nominee in 2024. Last Monday, Mr. DeSantis suffered a devastating 30-percentage-point loss to Mr. Trump in the Iowa caucuses, leaving him without an obvious pathway to the nomination.”

Washington Post: “DeSantis’s strategy fell flat as voters refused to leave Trump and even gravitated back to him, galvanized by outrage at the former president’s four criminal indictments. DeSantis alienated more moderate primary voters and donors who increasingly looked to former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley as a Trump alternative.”

“Awkward interactions on the trail dogged his campaign, spawning viral videos and feeding the governor’s longtime reputation for aloofness.”