Miami mayor Francis Suarez suspends 2024 presidential campaign
Francis Suarez during a Fair-Side Chat with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa on Aug. 11. Photo: Rachel Mummey/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said Tuesday that he is suspending his 2024 presidential campaign after failing to make the first GOP presidential primary debate last week.
Driving the news: "Running for President of the United States has been one of the greatest honors of my life," he wrote on the social media platform "X."
- 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.