On Jan. 21, just two days before the crucial New Hampshire primary, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the end of his presidential campaign, opting to back former President Donald Trump. This decision reshaped the Republican primary landscape, leaving former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley as Trump’s last long-shot challenger for the GOP nomination.

DeSantis, who previously stood as a formidable contender and a potential successor to Trump, faced overwhelming challenges throughout his campaign. Despite echoing Trump’s combative style and “America First” rhetoric, DeSantis failed to gain the same traction among voters. His campaign started off poorly when he announced his candidacy through a glitch-filled live stream on X (formerly Twitter) featuring Elon Musk, making DeSantis the subject of widespread ridicule. DeSantis’ campaign platform, focused on delivering Trump-esque policies without the same controversies, failed to resonate with many voters who remain loyal to Trump and still believe him to be an effective leader. Moreover, DeSantis’ delayed entry into the race, coupled with campaign mismanagement and overspending, undermined his chances of mounting a competitive challenge against Trump.

DeSantis’ campaign failures were evident in his distant second-place finish in the Iowa primary and his subsequent struggles to gain traction in New Hampshire and South Carolina. Even before DeSantis’ dropout was announced, Trump began speaking of his candidacy in the past tense, declaring at a rally in New Hampshire, “He’s probably finished. Sad. May he rest in peace.” By withdrawing prior to the New Hampshire primary, DeSantis spared himself from a potentially devastating loss, his actions described by the New York Times as “stopping a long, slow political bleed.”

After suspending his bid for Republican nomination, Desantis was quick to shift his support to Trump, saying “It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance, while I have had disagreements with Donald Trump such as on the coronavirus pandemic and his elevation of Anthony Fauci, Trump is superior to the current incumbent Joe Biden. That is clear.”

According to political analyst Ford O’Connell, Trump is the clear beneficiary of DeSantis ending his campaign, given their shared voter base. Even Republican congressman Matt Gaetz, a close proxy to Trump, said that he would like to see DeSantis back Trump’s campaign. “I remember the good old days when I was Ron DeSantis’s transition chairman and he and President Trump worked so well together,” Gaetz told supporters. “It turns out we might get Ron DeSantis back on the side pretty soon and I would welcome that.”

Additionally, DeSantis has often criticized Haley; “We can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear, a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents,” he said. DeSantis’ withdrawal from the Republican presidential race leaves Haley as the sole conservative alternative to challenge Trump’s candidacy.

With DeSantis out of the race, Trump stands as the undisputed frontrunner for the Republican nomination. Coupled with DeSantis’ endorsement, his commanding lead in polls solidifies his position as the party’s leading figure. According to Andrew Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, two-thirds of DeSantis supporters in New Hampshire cite Trump as their second choice. Trump’s dominance in key early primary states like New Hampshire and South Carolina further strengthens his path to securing the nomination.

With DeSantis’ exit, Haley faces an uphill battle to challenge Trump’s overwhelming support within the party. She has turned her efforts to blaming Trump for Republican losses in 2020 and 2022 and condemning his ties with Putin. While Haley has garnered some momentum in New Hampshire, her prospects for an upset victory remain uncertain.