Miami Mayor Francis Suarez bows out of GOP presidential race
(NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Miami Mayor Francis Suarez ended his long shot presidential bid Tuesday after failing to qualify for the first Republican primary debate in Milwaukee.
He is the first GOP candidate to drop out of the race.
On the stump in early voting states, Suarez honed his message on his economic and policing record in miami, railing against the "Defund the Police" movement and highlighting his family's history migrating from Cuba to the United States.
Suarez's campaign announced, in early August, that it had met the 40,000 unique donor threshold, one of the three benchmarks candidates, must reach before being given a lectern on the stage in Milwaukee.
The Miami mayor also believed he met the Republican National Convention's (RNC) polling requirement, thinking three polls, in which he'd hit the necessary 1%, would be counted, and that he would be allowed to debate.
Suarez prematurely celebrated making the stage, posting a video that's since been deleted, before learning one of those polls wasn't counted by the RNC.
Polling was an obstacle for the Suarez campaign from the start.
Since launching his campaign at the beginning of the summer, the Miami mayor barely registered in polls, struggling to attract attention as he competed with two better-known Florida men.
