Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida suspended his campaign for President on Sunday and endorsed former President Donald Trump, marking a spectacular implosion for a candidate once seen as having the best chance to dethrone Trump as the Republican Party’s nominee in 2024.

His departure from the race just 2 days before the New Hampshire primary election leaves Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, as Trump’s last rival standing.

DeSantis’ devastating 30-percentage-point loss to Trump in the Iowa caucuses last Monday had left him facing a daunting question: Why keep going? On Sunday, he provided his answer, acknowledging there was no point in soldiering on without a “clear path to victory”.

“I am today suspending my campaign,” DeSantis said in a video posted after The New York Times reported he was expected to leave the race. He added: “Trump is superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden. That is clear. I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee, and I will honor that pledge. He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear.”

DeSantis had flown home to Tallahassee, Florida, on Saturday after campaigning in South Carolina. He had been expected to appear at a campaign event in New Hampshire on Sunday, but it was cancelled. Even before DeSantis made his announcement, Trump had begun speaking about his candidacy in the past tense. “May he rest in peace,” Trump said of DeSantis.