Conservative talk radio host and 2024 presidential candidate Larry Elder announced he was suspending his campaign Thursday evening, saying it’s time for Republicans to “unite behind Donald Trump.”
Elder launched his presidential campaign in April, but low fundraising hauls and near-zero numbers in the polls made his 2024 bid one of the biggest longshots in the crowded GOP field. The conservative commentator, who ran against California Governor Gavin Newsom in a failed 2021 recall effort, said he is “proud” to endorse former President Trump, praising his conservative leadership.
“Now that I am exiting the race, I am proud to announce my endorsement of Donald Trump for President of the United States. His leadership has been instrumental in advancing conservative, America-first principles and policies that have benefited our great nation,” Elder said in a statement. “We must unite behind Donald Trump to beat Joe Biden and fight back against Biden’s unprecedented election interference and the left’s destruction of America.”
It's time to unite behind @realDonaldTrump to beat Joe Biden! pic.twitter.com/VXw6pyem2d
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) October 26, 2023
After suspending his campaign, Elder said he met with the former president to personally give him his endorsement.
Elder launched his presidential bid to address “the biggest issues” facing the U.S., which he defined as “the crisis of fatherlessness, the dangerous lie that America is systemically racist, the need for an amendment to the constitution to set federal spending to a fixed percentage of the GDP — otherwise government gets bigger whether Republicans or Democrats are in charge, and the need to remove the Soros-backed DAs across the country who refuse to enforce the law.”
The conservative radio host previously criticized Republican Party rules that kept him off the debate stage, saying they were “rigged” and threatened to sue the RNC to “halt” the first debate in August. Elder argued that GOP leaders were “afraid of having [his] voice on the debate stage.”
Elder is the fourth long-shot Republican candidate to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and former Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) were the first to drop out, and Michigan businessman Perry Johnson exited the race last week before he too endorsed Trump. Hurd endorsed former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who is jostling with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for second place behind Trump in the polls.
The Californian added that while he is dropping out of the presidential race, he remains committed to fighting for conservative values.
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“Although I am suspending my campaign for president, my commitment to addressing the crisis of fatherlessness, promoting conservative ideals, and supporting the MAGA movement remains unwavering,” Elder said. “I will continue to work tirelessly to advocate for the issues that matter most to the American people.”