Second GOP Candidate Drops From the Race

Will Hurd joins Francis Suarez on sidelines after failing to qualify for first 2 debates
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 10, 2023 11:00 AM CDT
Candidate You May Not Have Heard of Drops Out
Will Hurd speaks at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition's banquet on Sept. 16 in Des Moines.   (AP Photo/Bryon Houlgrave, File)

Former Texas congressman Will Hurd suspended his presidential bid on Monday and endorsed fellow GOP primary candidate Nikki Haley, officially abandoning a brief campaign built on criticizing Donald Trump at a time when his party seems even more determined to embrace the former president. "While I appreciate all the time and energy our supporters have given, it is important to recognize the realities of the political landscape and the need to consolidate our party around one person to defeat both Donald Trump and President Biden," Hurd wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, per the AP.

He added that Haley, a former US ambassador to the United Nations under Trump and ex-governor of South Carolina, "has shown a willingness to articulate a different vision for the country than Donald Trump and has an unmatched grasp on the complexities of our foreign policy." Hurd was the last major candidate to join the already crowded Republican primary field when he announced his run in late June. He leaves the race just over three months later after failing to gain traction as a pragmatic moderate who pledged to lead the party away from Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement. Hurd failed to qualify for both the first GOP debate in Milwaukee and the second one in Simi Valley, California.

Hurd ending his campaign follows another Republican candidate, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who became the first presidential hopeful to suspend his campaign shortly after failing to make the first debate stage. Hurd wasn't invited to the Milwaukee event after falling short of Republican National Committee minimums on support in the polls and sufficient numbers of donors to his campaign.

(More Will Hurd stories.)

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