Miami Mayor Francis Suarez suspended his 2024 presidential campaign Tuesday after failing to make the first presidential debate stage last week.
Suarez entered the crowded Republican primary field in mid-June, but failed to meet the Republican National Committee’s (RNC’s) debate criteria after claiming he had qualified. The mayor announced on Twitter that his White House bid came to an end, but pledged to help elevate the eventual GOP nominee to beat the “failing” Biden administration in 2024. (RELATED: ‘I Would Be An Impossible Candidate … To Beat’: Longshot GOP Candidate Says He’d Win In A Landslide Against Biden)
“While I have decided to suspend my campaign for President, my commitment to making this a better nation for every American remains,” Suarez wrote. “I look forward to keeping in touch with the other Republican presidential candidates and doing what I can to make sure our party puts forward a strong nominee who can inspire and unify the country, renew Americans’ trust in our institutions and in each other, and win.”
Running for President of the United States has been one of the greatest honors of my life. 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…
— Mayor Francis Suarez (@FrancisSuarez) August 29, 2023
The RNC required candidates to meet a 40,000 unique donor threshold, polling criteria and sign a loyalty pledge to support the eventual nominee. Suarez, former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, conservative radio personality Larry Elder and Michigan businessman Perry Johnson did not make the stage per the RNC’s polling requirement due to sample size issues, surveys sponsored by an organization affiliated with a campaign and not qualifying as a national poll.
Suarez prematurely announced he had made the stage, which the RNC quickly rebuked. The mayor previously suggested that any candidate who couldn’t qualify for the first debate should withdraw from the primary.
“If you can’t meet the minimum thresholds, you shouldn’t be trying to take time and volume away from people that do,” he said Aug. 11 at the Iowa State Fair. “I don’t think candidates should just sort of linger around if they don’t have a credible path.”
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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