Francis Suarez is the current mayor of Miami, Florida. Suarez is a Republican who is widely considered to be a member of the party's moderate wing. Just a few weeks ago, he launched a long-shot campaign for president of the United States.
Suarez notably became the third Floridian to seek the 2024 Republican Presidential nomination. His campaign quickly hit several snags, including a much-publicized gaffe on his part regarding foreign affairs. And now Suarez is following through on a pledge to end things promptly.
Withdraws from the presidential campaign
Francis Suarez is suspending his efforts to win the White House in 2024. It comes after Suarez failed to qualify for the first debate among Republican candidates. He had previously stated that any candidate who did not meet the criteria should drop out of the race.
Suarez had met the required mark for individual donors of at least 40,000. However, he needed to meet the necessary thresholds regarding polling. In the end, there were nine candidates to meet the qualifications.
With Suarez's departure, the most prominent candidate who was left out of the race is likely Will Hurd. Hurd is a former United States House of Representatives member from Texas. He is also another moderate Republican.
The earlier statements from Suarez and his subsequent follow-through represent the views of many. The field should shrink quickly to try to consolidate against far-right candidates. In particular, former President Donald Trump.
The hill for Suarez to climb to get the nomination was quite obviously steep from the get-go. And then, he received sharp criticism for his apparent lack of knowledge about the treatment of Uyghurs in China as was displayed in a decidedly awkward exchange during a radio interview.
Suarez called being a candidate for President "the greatest honor" of his life. He also hoped that the Republican party could become more of a home for Hispanic voters.
Was previously a city commissioner
Francis Suarez is the oldest child of Xavier Suarez and his wife, Rita. Xavier Suarez immigrated to the United States from Cuba and became a Democratic politician, including serving as the mayor of Miami.
Alex Mooney, Xavier's nephew and Francis' cousin, is a U.S. House of Representatives member from West Virginia. A Republican, Mooney is currently running for the U.S. Senate. In the past, he was heavily involved in Maryland politics.
The younger Suarez is an attorney by trade, most recently with Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. In 2009, he won a special election for a seat on the Miami City Commission. It was to fill the vacancy left by Tomas Regalado. Also a Republican, Regalado had been elected as mayor.
Suarez remained a member of the Commission until 2017. He first ran for mayor in 2013, unsuccessfully challenging Regalado. Four years later, Suarez won the open race for the office handily. He similarly won re-election in 2021.
