Campaign Almanac: Larry Elder suspends presidential campaign, endorses Trump

Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder announced Thursday he is suspending his 2024 Republican campaign for president and endorsing former President Donald Trump’s bid to reclaim the White House.

Elder, from California, is the fourth major candidate to suspend or end his bid for the GOP presidential nomination, following Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, former Texas congressman Will Hurd and Michigan businessman Perry Johnson.

Johnson also endorsed Trump when he withdrew earlier this month. Hurd endorsed former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Elder, in a statement, said he made the “difficult decision” to end his bid after “careful consideration and consultation” with his team.

Trump’s leadership, he said, was “instrumental in advancing conservative, America-first principles and policies that have benefited our great nation.”

It is time, he said, to unite behind Trump to beat President Joe Biden.

He also said he hoped his campaign had illuminated issues, including fatherlessness, fighting crime, opposing the idea that the U.S. is a racist country, and the need for a constitutional amendment tying federal spending to a fixed percentage of the GDP.

“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 in his statement.

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DeSantis calls for GOP presidential debate in Iowa, New Hampshire

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called on the Republican National Committee to host presidential debates in Iowa and New Hampshire, the two early states that will kick off the GOP presidential nominating contest, noting that it would be “good for the process.”

Speaking to Iowa reporters in the leadoff caucus state, DeSantis talked about the upcoming RNC debate on Nov. 8 in Miami. He said Florida is “proud” to host the debate, but called on the national party to hold a debate in Iowa or New Hampshire in the lead-up to the 2024 nominating cycle.

“But there should be a debate in either December or early January in Iowa, then there should be a debate after the Iowa caucus but before the New Hampshire primary in New Hampshire,” DeSantis told reporters.

“And I don't know why we haven't had any of these debates in the two early states. … I think that'd be very important. I think obviously we'll still cover the whole host of issues, but you may have some Iowa-specific things that some of the Iowans care about. And that's really what the RNC should be doing."

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New ad touts Nikki Haley’s ‘tough’ stance on China

Stand for America, the super PAC backing Nikki Haley’s White House bid, launched a new ad Friday in Iowa touting the former U.N. ambassador’s “long track record of being tough on Communist China.”

China has become the latest flash point in a growing foreign policy feud between the 2024 Republic presidential rivals as they battle to be the top alternative to GOP primary front-runner and former President Donald Trump.

On the campaign trail in New Hampshire this week, DeSantis claimed Haley “rolled out the red carpet for China” during her time as governor — Chinese business investment in South Carolina more than doubled during her two terms in office — to accuse her of being soft on the Chinese Communist Party.

As a presidential candidate, Haley has called China the "No. 1 biggest national security threat." On the campaign trail, she has said she would take back U.S. soil China had already purchased and would revoke normal trade relations with China until it halts the flow of fentanyl that has contributed to a dramatic rise in overdose deaths in the United States.

Never Back Down, a super PAC backing DeSantis, issued a news release from three Iowa farmers backing DeSantis and criticizing Haley for recruiting and celebrating Chinese investment in South Carolina as governor, with about 1,500 acres gifted or sold to Chinese companies in exchange for promised investments and the creation of new jobs.

“In Iowa, our land is our livelihood. It’s concerning to see that Nikki Haley gave away American land to the Chinese when she was governor,” Ross Paustian, a Scott County farmer and former chairman of Iowa House Agriculture Committee, said in a statement. “I am supporting Gov. Ron DeSantis because he has done exactly what our Gov. Kim Reynolds has done here — banned farmland from being bought by China.”

In May, DeSantis signed a Florida ban on Chinese nationals purchasing farmland and land near U.S. military bases.

China is one of Iowa's largest trading partners, a relationship forged and strengthened by former Iowa Republican governors Robert Ray and Terry Branstad. Branstad served as U.S. ambassador to China under former President Donald Trump.

SFA Fund Inc., the super PAC backing Haley’s campaign, fired back in the new ad, claiming DeSantis has aggressively recruited Chinese companies to Florida.

The Haley campaign argued the attacks by DeSanits are a sign of desperation. The former South Carolina governor is gaining ground in national polls and surpassed DeSantis for second place in New Hampshire, according to recent polling.

In Iowa, Haley trails DeSantis by 7.8 percentage points, according to Real Clear Politics’ rolling average of presidential primary polls.