Larry Elder drops out of 2024 race and endorses Trump

Long-shot Republican presidential candidate and conservative radio host Larry Elder dropped out of the 2024 race this week and endorsed former President Donald Trump in the primary.

As the GOP field prepares for the third debate in Miami, Florida, next month, Elder said he “made the difficult decision” to suspend his campaign. This is his second failed bid after he unsuccessfully ran in the 2021 recall efforts against Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA).

BIDEN SIGNALS DESIRE TO WORK WITH NEW SPEAKER WHILE CAMPAIGN UNDERCUTS HIM AS ‘EXTREME’

After thanking his supporters and denouncing “the crises of fatherlessness,” among other cultural issues, Elder endorsed Trump, citing his conservative record as key to defeating President Joe Biden in next year’s elections.

“Now that I’m exiting the race, I am proud to announce my endorsement of Donald Trump for President of the United States,” Elder wrote in a statement Thursday evening. “His leadership has been instrumental in advancing conservative, America-first principles and policies that have benefited our great nation.”

Elder failed to meet both the polling and donor requirements for any of the three primary debates sponsored by the Republican National Committee. The conservative radio host regularly polled at below 0% and threatened to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against the RNC and Fox News Channel after he was excluded from the first debate in late August.

“I said from the beginning that it appeared the rules of the game were rigged, little did we know just how rigged it is,” Elder said at the time. “For some reason, the establishment leaders at the RNC are afraid of having my voice on the debate stage. Just as I had to fight to successfully be on the ballot in the California recall election, I will fight to be on that debate stage because I fully met all of the requirements to do so.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

He joins a growing list of Republican candidates who have ended their campaigns recently, including Michigan businessman Perry Johnson, who endorsed Trump on Monday.

Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd ended his campaign earlier this month and endorsed former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez dropped out of the race in late August after he failed to qualify for the first primary debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.