Miami mayor Francis Suarez suspends 2024 presidential campaign

• Suarez is the first Republican candidate to suspend his campaign in the crowded GOP field.
• "It was a privilege to come so close to appearing on stage with the other candidates at last week's first debate."
• "While I have decided to suspend my campaign for President, my commitment to making this a better nation for every American remains," he wrote.

The big picture: Suarez, who launched his long-shot presidential campaign in June, struggled to gain traction in early polls and did not make the list of eight debate participants by the Republican National Committee.

• He had previously said that candidates who don't qualify for the debate should drop out of the race.

Catch up quick: Candidates seeking to qualify for the first debate needed 40,000 unique donors, including at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in at least 20 states and/or territories.

• The RNC also required at least 1% support in three independent national polls or two national polls and one independent poll from two of four early-voting states — Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.

Go deeper: 12.8M people watch first Republican presidential debate

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional background.