Trump has one less opponent in the election! Who else "dropped out" in the US election?

　　China News Service, March 6 (Chen Caixia) On the 6th local time, U.S. Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nikki Haley officially announced her withdrawal from the Republican primary election for the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

　　On Super Tuesday the day before, she had just won the Vermont Republican primary—her second victory in the 2024 Republican primary.

Data map: Haley.

　　Since announcing her candidacy a year ago, Haley has suffered repeated setbacks in the party's primaries, with a significant gap between her and former US President Trump.

　　On the same day, Haley said bluntly, "Now is the time to suspend my campaign. I said I wanted the voice of the American people to be heard. I have done that. I have no regrets."

　　In addition to Haley, many Republican presidential candidates have withdrawn from the race. What are the reasons behind these seemingly "unexpected" decisions?

What changes will their withdrawal bring to the election?

They withdraw from the US election one after another

The “domino effect” is about to begin

——Pence: "This is not my time!"

　　According to the Associated Press, on June 7, 2023, "Trump's right-hand man" and former US Vice President Pence announced that he would become a Republican candidate for the 2024 US presidential election.

Pence has been preparing to win the White House, visiting states with early election voting, giving speeches and promoting his autobiography, but he seems to have been unable to shake off his position as a "second-tier candidate."

Data map: Former US Vice President Pence.

　　Just over four months later, on October 30, 2023, Pence announced his withdrawal from the presidential election.

The Associated Press said that Pence became the first "domino to fall" for the Republican Party in this election.

"This is not my time!" Pence said in his speech that day that his decision was "thoughtful."

　　The New York Times revealed that Pence's election performance was sluggish, and his campaign team was unable to make ends meet and owed $600,000 in debt.

CNN also said that due to factors such as poor election conditions and financial constraints, Pence felt that he had no chance of winning, so he chose to take the initiative to exit.

——DeSantis: “No clear path to victory in sight”

　　On May 24, 2023, the Republican Party’s “top rising star” and Florida Governor DeSantis announced that he would join the presidential campaign.

DeSantis was so popular at the time that he easily won re-election as governor in November 2022, paving the way for the nomination of the Republican presidential candidate.

Data map: Florida Governor DeSantis.

　　On January 21, 2024, this powerful "dark horse" announced his withdrawal from the presidential campaign and also announced his support for former President Trump's candidacy.

According to reports, DeSantis received only 21% of the vote in the first Iowa Republican primary on January 15, trailing Trump by about 30 percentage points.

DeSantis said in a speech that day that "there is no clear path to winning the election" and that most Republican primary voters "hope to give Trump another chance."

——Christie: “There was no way I could win the nomination.”

　　According to CBS, on January 10, 2024 local time, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced his withdrawal from the presidential campaign.

"It is clear to me that there is no path forward for me to win the nomination," he said in a statement.

Data map: Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

　　On June 1, 2023, Christie announced his participation in the 2024 US presidential election.

He served as Trump's campaign adviser in 2016, but then repeatedly criticized Trump and was called "one of Trump's most outspoken Republican critics" by the US media.

　　Reuters said that the gap between Christie and Trump in the polls is very obvious, and he may just act as a "spoiler".

—— Ramaswamy: “The surprise that was intended to be conveyed was not achieved”

　　According to the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), on the evening of January 15, 2024, local time, the US Republican presidential candidate and Indian-born entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy announced that due to his participation in the Iowa caucus After a disappointing performance, he will withdraw from the 2024 presidential election.

"The hard truth is difficult for me, but I have to admit that we have considered it from all aspects and I think we did not achieve the surprise that we wanted to convey tonight."

Data map: Indian-born entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

　　Ramaswamy, 38, announced his candidacy in February 2023.

Although Ramaswamy enjoyed some popular support in the primaries and was once ranked third in the polls, he failed to gain an advantage in the competition with Trump, DeSantis and Haley. .

In addition to his lack of political experience, Ramaswamy's foreign policy stance on issues such as Israel has caused dissatisfaction among some rivals.

　——Hutchinson: "Failed to gain approval from voters"

　　On April 2, 2023, Asa Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas and Republican presidential candidate, announced his participation in the 2024 presidential election and positioned himself as "a person who can replace Trump."

Hutchinson, 73, has served as the governor of Arkansas since 2015 and was successfully re-elected in 2018.

Data map: Asa Hutchinson, former governor of Arkansas and Republican presidential candidate.

　　According to the "Washington Post" report, on January 16, 2024 local time, Hutchinson ranked sixth in Iowa's first Republican presidential primary, and then announced his withdrawal from the presidential race.

Hutchinson said in a statement, "I have failed to win the approval of Iowa voters as a principled, experienced and truth-telling candidate."

—Binkley: “Think of other ways you can make an impact.”

　　According to the US political news website Politico, on February 27, local time, US Republican presidential candidate Ryan Binkley announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential election and instead supported former US President Trump.

Binkley said in his exit statement, "During the campaign, I watched our party weigh the corruption charges and indictments against Trump while working toward a new vision...I will consider other options that can make an impact. and the means by which policy positions can be communicated.”

File photo: Ryan Binkley.

　　According to reports, in April 2023, Binkley, a pastor and businessman, announced his intention to run.

He raised more than $10 million for himself, but he only received more than 2,000 votes in the primaries in four states, including New Hampshire and South Carolina.

According to reports, Binkley's presidential campaign was basically "hopeless" from the beginning, and he also admitted that he did not resonate with voters.

Is Trump vs. Biden a foregone conclusion?

　　CNN stated that as candidates have withdrawn from the election, there has been no fierce "fighting" within the Republican Party trying to regain control of the White House.

　　At the same time, on March 4, local time, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling banning Trump from participating in the state’s primary election in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. On the same day, Maine’s top election official officially restored the special election. Trump qualified for the state’s party primary.

Data map: Former US President Trump.

　　Faced with the possibility of Trump appearing on the general election ballot again, many critics warned that Trump's return to the White House would be "another shock to American democracy."

　　In the "Super Tuesday" party primaries, according to US media calculations, Biden and Trump continued to expand their leads in the Democratic and Republican primaries respectively.

Data map: US President Biden.

　　US media pointed out that members of the Biden campaign team have described the general election as a "rematch" between Biden and Trump. However, if the two meet again, the outcome is still unpredictable.

Many voters have said they do not want to see Trump and Biden face off again.

　　"I feel like the United States is sitting on a powder keg with the fuse already lit... This powder keg is likely to explode in 2024." said Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota.

(over)