Conservative radio host Larry Elder has ended his quest for the White House.
Elder, a long-time Republican from California, announced he would suspend his 2024 presidential campaign on Oct. 26.
He thanked his supporters, saying he was “truly honored by the enthusiasm and dedication of all the grassroots support” as his campaign “held the establishment party bosses accountable.” He added that ending his presidential bid was a “difficult decision.”
“Throughout my campaign, I have been steadfast in my belief that the biggest issues facing our nation are 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,” wrote Elder in a message shared on X.
“The breakdown of the family structure and the absence of positive father figures in the lives of many children have far-reaching consequences for our society, including the crime wave we are currently seeing in America today,” he continued. “I hope that my campaign has helped shine a light on these critical issues and sparked important conversations about how we can solve them.”
Elder’s campaign faced several obstacles, including a tense relationship with the Republican National Committee.
The RNC did not allow Elder to participate in the first presidential primary debate in Milwaukee in August after claiming one of the polls his team submitted was not considered acceptable.
For the first debate, Republican candidates had to secure donations of any amount from 40,000 individual donors and have support from 200 donors in 20 different states. Additionally, the candidate must have been polling at 1% in either three national polls or one national poll and two polls from early voting states. Finally, all participants had to sign a loyalty pledge promising to support whoever became the party’s nominee in order to defeat the Democratic Party’s incumbent, President Joe Biden.
Elder’s campaign said it had met all the requirements but the RNC refused to accept the results of a Rasmussen Poll, arguing the organization had ties to former President Donald Trump.
Elder denied being aware of any connection between Trump and the polling group. He counterargued that “Rasmussen Polls is a reputable, nationally-recognized firm and one of only THREE polling firms who accurately predicted the outcome of the 2016 Presidential Election” and announced plans to sue the RNC.
“Now that I am exiting the race, I am proud to announce my endorsement of Donald Trump for President of the United States,” Elder said on Oct. 26. “His leadership has been instrumental in advancing conservative, America-first principles and policies that have benefited our great nation.”
It's time to unite behind @realDonaldTrump to beat Joe Biden! pic.twitter.com/VXw6pyem2d
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) October 26, 2023
He urged his supporters to unite behind Trump in order to “fight back against Biden’s unprecedented election interference and the left’s destruction of America.” He also stressed that he remains committed to “addressing the crisis of fatherlessness, promoting conservative ideals, and supporting the MAGA movement.”
Elder had previously alluded to his willingness to serve as Trump’s Vice President.
