March 20 (UPI) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ White House aspirations were put on hold when he suspended his campaign in January. On Tuesday, he came in third place in his home state’s Republican primary.
Republican voters cast 910,897 votes for former President Donald Trump, about 81% of votes. Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley received 144,563 votes, or about 13%. DeSantis received 41,234 votes, or 3%.
Six of Florida’s 67 counties delivered DeSantis more votes than Haley, though none of those counties voted in large numbers for either. DeSantis received 45 votes to Haley’s 37 in Calhoun, 76 to her 67 in Gilchrist and 52 to her 45 in Washington County.
Leon County, where capital city Tallahassee is located, voted 17% for Haley and 7% for DeSantis.
DeSantis’ best showing during the nominating process was in the Iowa Caucus, where he finished second. The Florida governor campaigned aggressively in Iowa, the state he often referred to as the “Florida of the north.” He suspended his campaign days later and endorsed Trump.
Haley finished second in her home-state primary in South Carolina, carrying about 39% of votes.
Florida Republican Party Chairman Evan Power said DeSantis’ support in the state’s primary was colored by the fact that he had left the race.
“DeSantis was no longer a candidate when our mail-in votes went out, so I do not think it is any judgment on him,” Power said.
Haley suspended her campaign on March 6. Early voting started on March 9. While Trump’s win was by a vast margin, about 19% of voters chose other candidates, even those who had dropped out.
