Miami Mayor Francis Suarez drops out of Republican presidential primary race

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez Tuesday dropped out of the Republican presidential primary race, the first candidate to throw in the towel on his long-shot bid for the White House.

Just 76 days after launching his campaign, Suarez pulled the plug on his effort to challenge former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and others in the crowded field.

“I have decided to suspend my campaign for president, my commitment to making this a better nation for every American remains,” Suarez said in a statement.

Suarez becomes the first candidate to pull out of the GOP race. Others who have come up with little traction in the race so far include ex-Rep. Will Hurd, ex-Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and radio host Larry Elder.

The Miami mayor hoped to bring a conservative Latino voice and one with experience running a big city to the race dominated by white men with few urban ties.

One of his biggest splashes came when he launched an artificial intelligence-powered bot that answered some questions about his political positions.

But his campaign sputtered from the start. His failure to qualify for the first debate last week effectively sounded a death knell for his dark horse bid.

Suarez didn’t endorse any of the remaining candidates but said he would keep open lines of communication with them.

“[I will] make sure our party puts forward a strong nominee who can inspire and unify the country, renew Americans’ trust in our institutions and in each other, and win,” he said.

Suarez vowed to continue working to promote the GOP in the Latino community, which he said was ripe turf for the party’s conservative stances.

“Our party must continue doing more to include and attract this vibrant community that believes in our country’s foundational values: faith, family, hard work and freedom,” he said.