Will Hurd drops out of 2024 Republican presidential race and backs Nikki Haley

CNN
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Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd announced Monday that he is ending his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 and is endorsing former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

“Unfortunately, it has become clear to me and my team that the time has come to suspend our campaign,” he wrote in a statement, adding that “it is important to recognize the realities of the political landscape and the need to consolidate our party around one person to defeat both Donald Trump and President (Joe) Biden.”

The former congressman, who had struggled to gain traction in a crowded GOP field dominated by Trump, offered a stark warning to his party: “If the Republican party nominates Donald Trump or the various personalities jockeying to imitate his divisive, crass behavior, we will lose.”

Hurd entered the race in June as an outspoken critic of the former president and was one of the few Republican contenders willing to attack Trump directly. He accused his fellow GOP candidates of being afraid of Trump and argued that the former president, who currently faces 91 criminal charges across four separate criminal cases against him, was running for a second term in order to “stay out of jail.”

In backing Haley, a former ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, Hurd praised her as a leader who can navigate national security challenges. “Ambassador Haley has shown a willingness to articulate a different vision for the country than Donald Trump and has an unmatched grasp on the complexities of our foreign policy,” he said.

This story has been updated with additional information.