The Republican presidential candidate who declared his candidacy in June informed his supporters of his decision to end his campaign.
The Republican mayor of Miami, Florida, Francis Suarez, who entered the GOP primary contest as a “moderate” candidate with significant opposition to both Trump and DeSantis, has recently announced his withdrawal from the 2024 race.
Suarez declared his candidacy publicly in June, establishing himself as the sole Latino candidate for the Republican nomination. Tuesday, the individual informed his supporters that he will end his campaign.
“Running for President of the United States has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Suarez wrote in a lengthy post to X, formerly called Twitter. “It was a privilege to come so close to appearing on stage with the other candidates at last week’s first debate.”
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
“While I have decided to suspend my campaign for President, my commitment to making this a better nation for every American remains,” Suarez wrote.
Throughout his limited campaign, Suarez’s bid for the nomination lacked significant momentum. The candidate was unable to secure sufficient financial backing, resulting in his exclusion from last week’s initial Republican primary debate.
Early in his campaign, Suarez encountered difficulties in the domain of international policy. During a radio interview shortly after entering the contest, he displayed a complete dearth of understanding regarding the situation facing the Uyghur population in China.
During his appearance on “The Hugh Hewitt Show,” Suarez was questioned about his stance on China’s genocidal actions against the Uyghur Muslim minority, leading to a discussion of his policy stances.
The response from Suarez lacked encouragement. Suarez responded with a small chuckle and the query, “The what?” when Hewitt inquired about his intention to discuss the matter. Suarez proceeded to ask, “What is a Uyghur?” demonstrating a dearth of knowledge.
Hugh Hewitt: “Will you be talking about the Uyghurs in your campaign?”
2024 GOP presidential candidate Francis Suarez: “What's a Uyghur?” pic.twitter.com/AlRkjZCJyK
— The Recount (@therecount) June 27, 2023
Uyghurs are a Muslim ethnic group indigenous to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northern China. They have unfortunately been subjected to grievous violations of human rights by the Chinese Communist Party. A significant number of Uyghurs have reportedly been detained by the Chinese government and subjected to forced labor, physical torture, sterilization, and forced employment in factories producing products for Western markets.
Suarez’s limited knowledge of one of the most significant and pervasive human rights violations in modern times diminished his credibility as a candidate.
The mayor of Miami, however, diverged from the Republican electorate by positioning himself as a vocal critic of both former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Suarez, as an illustration, harshly criticized DeSantis for his decision to eradicate mandatory mask-wearing protocols in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. Suarez, according to a 2021 report by Politico, believed that the state should have enforced disguise regulations and punished those who refused to comply.
Suarez also criticized DeSantis regarding the recent dispute over the state’s educational curriculum concerning African heritage. Suarez asserted that DeSantis was teaching children that slavery possessed favorable characteristics.
According to the Florida school lesson, some slaves “developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”
This does not suggest that slavery was beneficial. It is a straightforward account of what transpired in the years preceding the Civil War.
Suarez, on the other hand, claimed DeSantis was attempting to modernize servitude.
He stated on August 22 that there are no virtues to slavery that should be taught in our educational system, according to ABC News. “I’ve been very vocal, very clear about the fact that there’s no virtues to slavery that should be taught in our school system,” he added.
According to the Washington Examiner, Suarez criticized DeSantis in another instance, saying on “Fox & Friends” in June: “You know, the governor isn’t particularly a relationship guy. You know, he doesn’t have, from what I understand, a great relationship with a lot of our federal elected officials.
Suarez continued, “That’s why he lost, I think, 12 out of 13 endorsements in his own state for congressman because he doesn’t call people and he doesn’t try to build a relationship.”
Suarez has also been a vocal opponent of Donald Trump, and he has told anyone who would listen that he did not vote for Trump in the 2020 election.
Due to his opposition to two of the most popular GOP candidates in America right now, he became an outlier in the minds of the vast majority of Republican voters. Suarez began with little momentum, so it’s not surprising that he’s the first to give up.