Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) is being asked by Republicans to suspend his presidential bid. The Florida Republican Assembly is calling on DeSantis to step down in order to focus on issues pertaining to Florida.
The call comes after Vice President Mike Pence (R) suspended his own presidential bid over the weekend, saying, “It’s become clear to me: This is not my time.”
In response to the exit, President Donald Trump (R), speaking at a campaign event in Las Vegas, called on Pence to endorse him. “You know why? Because I had a great, successful presidency and he was the vice president.” However, Trump did note that Pence might not endorse him, commenting that “people in politics can be very disloyal.”
The Florida Republican Assembly is now looking for Gov. DeSantis to be the second major candidate to exit the field with their declaration for him to return to Florida and finish the role he was reelected to undertake.
Citing that “Governor Ron DeSantis has been using his position as Governor to campaign for the office of the President of the United States, taking him away from his official duties and responsibilities to the citizens of Florida, frequently at taxpayer expense,” and that DeSantis’ “Presidential campaign has been met with a lack of enthusiasm by voters nationally and has not gained any significant momentum, in fact to the contrary,” the grassroots Republican organization is calling on the governor to focus on Florida.
The group does mention that they are satisfied with the way that DeSantis has governed Florida and that they would like to see him finish his second term.
DeSantis, once seen as an alternative to Trump, has struggled to gain traction on the big stage. Though he’s still seen as a viable candidate, he has trailed Trump in polling.
