What’s next for Gov. Ron DeSantis after suspending presidential campaign?

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – It is now a two-person race for the GOP presidential nomination after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race Sunday afternoon. Former President Donald Trump and Nikki Haley will face off in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.

DeSantis’ focus will shift to the legislative session that began earlier this month in Tallahassee. He has three years left in his term.  

“I will not stop now,” DeSantis said in a video statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The decision to end his presidential campaign and return to the governor’s mansion comes after DeSantis finished in a distant second behind Trump in the Iowa Caucuses last week.

“His big kind of base of support was in Iowa, where he spent a considerable amount of time,” USF Center for Sustainable Democracy Director Dr. Joshua Scacco said.

Dr. Scacco said DeSantis didn’t see the results nor the momentum he was hoping for.

“The campaign was looking forward and seeing that it didn’t necessarily have a viable path,” he said.

Dr. Scacco said the governor now has to figure out his place within the National Republican Party and what role he wants to play in the election moving forward.

“The governor ran on a particular agenda for reelection,” he said. “The governor now has a legislative session to come back to and figure out what will be his administrative priorities not just this year, but going forward for the remainder of his term.”

Following his announcement to end his presidential run, DeSantis said he is now endorsing Trump for the 2024 election.

“The mission continues down here in Florida,” DeSantis said. “We will continue to show the country how to lead.”

With the Republican presidential primary now down to Trump and Haley, Dr. Scacco weighed in on the two-person race.

“The two-person race between former President and the former Governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, may not have an effect as maybe we might think,” Scacco said.

Trump and Haley spent Monday making their final pitches to voters ahead of the New Hampshire primary.