The GOP candidate who made a public declaration of his presidential candidacy in June, conveyed to his followers his decision to halt his campaign.
Mayor Francis Suarez, a Republican from Miami, who entered the GOP primary contest positioning himself as a “moderate” contender with strong opposition to both Trump and DeSantis, has recently announced his withdrawal from the 2024 race.
In June, Suarez made a public declaration of his candidacy, positioning himself as the sole Latino contender for the Republican nomination. On Tuesday, the individual conveyed to his followers that he is halting his campaign.
“Running for President of the United States has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Suarez wrote in a lengthy post to X, formerly called Twitter. “It was a privilege to come so close to appearing on stage with the other candidates at last week’s first debate.”
Running for President of the United States has been one of the greatest honors of my life. This country has given so much to my family and me. The prospect of giving back at the highest levels of public service is a motivator if not a calling. Throughout this process, I have met…
— Mayor Francis Suarez (@FrancisSuarez) August 29, 2023
“While I have decided to suspend my campaign for President, my commitment to making this a better nation for every American remains,” Suarez wrote.
Suarez’s candidacy for the nomination failed to gain much momentum throughout his brief campaign. The candidate was unsuccessful in securing sufficient financial support, resulting in his exclusion from the initial GOP primary debate held last week.
Suarez encountered difficulties in the realm of international policy at the outset of his campaign. Specifically, during a radio interview shortly after entering the race, he demonstrated a complete lack of knowledge regarding the situation faced by the Uyghur population in China.
During his appearance on “The Hugh Hewitt Show,” Suarez was queried on his stance on China’s genocidal actions towards the Uyghur Muslim minority people, prompting a discussion on his policy positions.
Suarez’s response was lacking in encouragement. Upon being questioned by Hewitt of his intention to discuss the matter, Suarez responded with a little chuckle and queried, “The what?” With evident lack of knowledge, Suarez proceeded to inquire, “What’s a Uyghur?”
Hugh Hewitt: “Will you be talking about the Uyghurs in your campaign?”
2024 GOP presidential candidate Francis Suarez: “What’s a Uyghur?” pic.twitter.com/AlRkjZCJyK
— The Recount (@therecount) June 27, 2023
The Uyghurs are an indigenous Muslim ethnic community residing in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northern China. Regrettably, they have been exposed to severe violations of human rights perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party. The Chinese government has reportedly detained a significant number of Uyghur individuals, subjecting them to forced labor, physical abuse, sterilization, and coerced employment in factories that produce goods for Western markets.
Suarez’s limited understanding of one of the most significant and persistent human rights violations in contemporary times rendered him a candidate of lesser credibility.
However, the mayor of Miami diverged from the Republican base by positioning himself as a vocal critic of both former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
As an example, Suarez strongly criticized DeSantis for his decision to eliminate mandatory mask-wearing protocols amidst the ongoing pandemic. According to a 2021 report by Politico, Suarez expressed the belief that the state should have upheld the imposition of mask mandates and implemented penalties for individuals who refused to comply with them.
Suarez additionally criticized DeSantis on the recent dispute around the educational curriculum pertaining to black heritage inside the state. Suarez asserted that DeSantis was imparting to children the notion that slavery have certain favorable attributes.
According to the Florida school lesson, some slaves “developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”
This does not imply that slavery was advantageous. It is merely an accurate account of what transpired in the years leading up to the Civil War.
Suarez, however, charged that DeSantis was attempting to modernize slavery.
He stated on August 22 that there are no virtues to slavery that should be taught in our educational system, according to ABC News. “I’ve been very vocal, very clear about the fact that there’s no virtues to slavery that should be taught in our school system,” he added.
According to the Washington Examiner, Suarez criticized DeSantis in another instance, saying on “Fox & Friends” in June: “You know, the governor isn’t particularly a relationship guy. You know, he doesn’t have, from what I understand, a great relationship with a lot of our federal elected officials.
Suarez continued, “That’s why he lost, I think, 12 out of 13 endorsements in his own state for congressman because he doesn’t call people and he doesn’t try to build a relationship.”
Suarez has also been a loud opponent of Donald Trump, and he hasn’t hesitated to tell anybody who would listen that he didn’t cast his ballot for him in the 2020 election.
He became an outlier in the eyes of the majority of Republican voters due to his opposition to two of the most well-liked GOP contenders in America right now. Suarez had little momentum from the start, so it’s hardly surprise that he’s the first to give up.
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