Francis Suarez, mayor of Miami, declared on Tuesday that he will no longer seek the Republican candidature for president in 2024.
“While I have decided to suspend my campaign for President, my commitment to making this a better nation for every American remains,” Suarez stated.
This decision was made by Suarez after he was unable to meet the criteria set by the Republican National Committee in order to participate in last week’s first presidential debate in Milwaukee. Before the debate, he told AWN that any candidates who did not make it onto the stage should withdraw from the race.
On Tuesday, Suarez stated, “I look forward to keeping in touch with the other Republican presidential candidates and doing what I can to ensure our party puts forward a strong nominee who can inspire and unify the country, renew Americans’ trust in our institutions and each other, and win.”
Just over two months ago, in the middle of June, Suarez launched his long-shot run for the presidency, calling on Republicans to unify and echoing Ronald Reagan’s desire to restore the party’s “big tent” alliance.
Although two more prominent Floridians, former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis, also competed in the Republican primary, Suarez, the son of Cuban immigrants, was the only notable Hispanic contender.
Hispanics are the country’s fastest-growing voting bloc, and I intend to continue amplifying their voices. It’s no wonder that so many Hispanics are joining the right movement in America,” he stated on Tuesday, referring to the Left’s treatment of the community for far too long.
During his brief run for office, Suarez said he lacked the name recognition of many of his Republican opponents.
My detractors have been household names for decades. It’s been 60 days since I became a household name. “I’m playing catch-up,” Suarez admitted earlier this month at the Iowa State Fair.
His team announced that he did not make it past the RNC’s polling requirements in time to participate in the Milwaukee debate. Three nationwide polls, or two national polls and two early state polls, meeting the RNC’s standards, required candidates to have at least 1% support.
According to Suarez, he received at least 40,000 individual donations and so was eligible to participate in the debate. Unconventional strategies such as taking bitcoin donations, distributing $20 gift cards, and holding a raffle for tickets to see soccer great Lionel Messi’s debut with Major League Soccer team Inter Miami were used by his campaign to reach this objective. The pro-Suarez super PAC SOS America likewise raffled off a year of university tuition in exchange for a single dollar.
An initial misstep
During an appearance on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show not long after announcing his candidature, Suarez fumbled and seemed to be unaware of the suffering of the Uyghur Muslim ethnic minority in China, whose treatment has been the topic of widespread censure for years.
Suarez was questioned by a conservative radio broadcaster if he planned to “talk about the Uyghurs in your campaign.”
Suarez asked, “The what?” in response.
Hewitt said “the Uyghurs,” and the candidate responded, “What’s a Uyghur?”
You gave me homework, Hugh,” Suarez said Hewitt at the end of the conversation. Okay, let me see if I can find it. You called it what? A weeble?
Suarez later told AWN that he was not oblivious of the Uyghur situation or the allegations of human rights abuses against China.
Obviously, I am aware of the plight of the Uyghur people in China. Because of their religion, they have been sold into slavery. China’s record on human rights is appalling, and believers of all stripes face persecution there. I didn’t recognise my friend Hugh Hewitt’s pronunciation,” he stated.
Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang area have been accused of suffering human rights violations, which China strongly refutes.