US Presidential Election 2024: The internal Republican race ends early

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has just withdrawn from the race for the Republican presidential nomination and announced his support for candidate Donald Trump.

Mr. Donald Trump and Mr. Ron DeSantis at a Republican Party meeting. Photo: FOX NEWS

In the Republican primary on January 5 in Iowa, Mr. Trump easily won with 51% of the total votes, 30% ahead of the second-placed Mr. DeSantis, while former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley ranked third with 19%. Many people predict that Mr. DeSantis will have poor results in the primary election in New Hampshire on January 23, where Ms. Haley is considered the most competitive opponent to former President Donald Trump.

DeSantis’s support in New Hampshire could go to Trump, widening his lead over Nikki Haley. Another decisive victory there could make the former president virtually unstoppable. Trump is also campaigning hard in South Carolina, the third state to hold its primary on February 24.

The Florida governor withdrew just two days before New Hampshire voters cast their ballots to choose the Republican presidential nominee. Now the race is between Trump and Nikki Haley. According to the Wall Street Journal, losing to the former president is a heavy defeat for DeSantis - the person who once represented the Republican Party's strongest hope of overcoming Trump.

It is likely that many in the Republican establishment underestimated Mr. Trump. It is also a blow to the promising career of a rising Republican star, and the low polling numbers have raised doubts among Mr. DeSantis’s allies and close advisers. Some say Mr. DeSantis has spent too much time attacking former President Donald Trump.

Others say Mr. DeSantis’s team underestimated former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. But many say Mr. DeSantis is young and needs to support Mr. Trump if he wants to have a chance at winning the Republican presidential nomination in 2028. Trump campaign officials are delighted with Mr. DeSantis’s withdrawal, saying it is time for all Republicans to rally behind former President Donald Trump to defeat President Joe Biden in November.

According to David Kochel, a Republican strategist who worked on five presidential campaigns, Mr. DeSantis's withdrawal is unlikely to change the basic outlines of the Republican campaign because support has declined. However, information from the Washington Post, for Republicans, there is a reminder that they can participate in the upcoming election campaign with a person who "has many flaws", "deeply divides voters" and can still become a "felon" before the election. With 4 indictments and 91 charges, does that make Republicans ask: Should Mr. Trump be the party's candidate? So far, the developments show that the indictments have strengthened voter support rather than discrediting Mr. Trump.

KHANH MINH

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/bau-cu-tong-thong-my-2024-cuoc-dua-noi-bo-dang-cong-hoa-som-ket-thuc-post723903.html