Republican Candidate Drops Out of Presidential Race
Miami mayor and 2024 Republican Presidential hopeful Francis Suarez speaks at the Republican Party of Iowa's 2023 Lincoln Dinner at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa, on July 28, 2023.
Miami Mayor
Francis Suarez has suspended his short-lived presidential campaign after failing to qualify for the GOP debate earlier this month.
In a lengthy statement posted Tuesday to X (formerly
Twitter), Suarez said he was suspending his campaign a little more than two months after announcing his long-shot bid for the presidency.
"Running for President of the United States has been one of the greatest honors of my life," he said. "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."
A relative unknown in national politics before launching his campaign earlier this year,
Suarez made aggressive inroads into the Republican primary field, running an extensive digital promotional campaign that outspent several of his peers in the lead-up to the August 23 debate in Milwaukee.
Unable to achieve the momentum of better-funded foes despite heavy backing from deep-pocketed Silicon Valley donors, Suarez—who polled at or near zero percent in most major presidential surveys—later resorted to using his campaign funds to
attempt to entice donors to contribute to his campaign. The tactic mirrored similar efforts by figures like North Dakota's millionaire governor, Doug Burgum, to meet the small-donor criteria the Republican National Committee established for candidates to qualify for the debate.
In his statement Tuesday, Suarez said, "I had looked forward to sharing the story of Miami, America's most successful city, especially at a time when so many cities are plagued with poverty, unemployment, high taxes, violent crime, and homelessness. I know what we have achieved during my tenure leading the City of Miami can be replicated in every community in our great country. The next President must play a major role in getting America's cities back on track to safety, prosperity, and a better quality of life for all.
While I have decided to suspend my campaign for President," he concluded, "my commitment to making this a better nation for every American remains."
CONTINUED: