News of Ron DeSantis suspending his Republican presidential campaign dominated social media on Sunday.
The Florida governor made the announcement in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on the eve of the New Hampshire primary.
The move put an end to DeSantis' White House bid that failed to meet expectations that he would emerge as a serious challenger to former President Donald Trump.
Many Florida politicians reacted swiftly to the news of DeSantis ending his run for president in 2024.
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DESANTIS DROPS OUT
The Florida Democratic Primary released a statement from Chair Nikki Fried that reads in part, “Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign is a dead, rotten carcass on the side of the road."
“Ron’s campaign was dead on arrival," Fried said. "His lack of people skills and political instincts — not to mention complete inability to surround himself with a competent team — finally brought him to the most predictable place we could imagine: a whimper of an ending almost as embarrassing as his failure to launch in May."
While some reactions focused on the governor's failed campaign, others focused on uniting the GOP against President Biden.
Senator Marco Rubio took to X to say, "One step closer to getting everyone focused on saving our country by helping Trump beat Biden."
“We’re getting the band back together!" Rep. Matt Gaetz posted on X with a selfie of him and the Florida governor.
Florida State Senator Blaise Ingoglia also took the opportunity to endorse Trump.
“As a party, we must unite behind President Donald J. Trump," said Sen. Ingoglia. "We need a strong leader to turn our country around, before it’s too late."
Ingoglia also praised DeSantis, saying, "For years, I’ve had a front-row seat watching America’s Governor Ron DeSantis remake both Florida’s political and policy landscape. Nobody has been more transformational in doing so."
Ingoglia wasn't the only right-wing politician who maintained his support for Ron DeSantis as governor.
Rep. Cory Mills said, "Florida gets our Governor back, and it’s time for America to get its President back."
Meanwhile, other officials aren't exactly welcoming the governor back to Florida with open arms.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz posted on social media saying, "It was over before it even started. Florida is over you too. Don’t come home and hurt Florida more than you already have."
Elected officials weren't the only local leaders to speak out about the news.
Fred Guttenberg, the parent of a victim of the 2018 Parkland shooting, also posted on social media after the news, saying that he "once liked" the Florida governor, but now finds him to be "pathetic and weak."
On X, the gun control activist wrote that DeSantis made a "disgusting hard right authoritarian pivot to focus on a Republican base that would never support him."
