Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd Drops Out of 2024 White House Race, Endorses Nikki Haley

Former Texas Congressman Will Hurd speaks to guests at the Republican Party of Iowa 2023 Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, on July 28, 2023. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Republican presidential candidate Will Hurd suspended his 2024 presidential campaign on Monday, opting instead to endorse former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley.

Mr. Hurd, a former House lawmaker from Texas and a fierce critic of former President Donald Trump, said Ms. Haley is the best candidate in the GOP primary field, in a statement announcing his decision to pull out of the 2024 race.

“Unfortunately, it has become clear to me and my team that the time has come to suspend our campaign,” Mr. Hurd wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“While I appreciate all the time and energy our supporters have given, it is important to recognize the realities of the political landscape and the need to consolidate our party around one person to defeat both Donald Trump and President [Joe] Biden.”

The former Congressman warned that “errors” in the 2016 presidential race should not be repeated.

“I urge donors, voters, and other candidates to unite around an alternative candidate to Trump,” Mr. Hurd wrote. “Otherwise, we will repeat the same errors as in 2016. If the Republican party nominates Donald Trump or the various personalities jockeying to imitate his divisive, crass behavior, we will lose.”

Mr. Hurd launched his 2024 White House bid in June, promising to bring “common-sense leadership.” In 2022, he toured the country to promote his book, “American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done.”

Mr. Hurd was a House lawmaker representing Texas’s 23rd Congressional District from 2015 to 2021. Prior to his political career, he was a CIA agent from 2000 to 2009.

Late on Monday night, President Trump responded to Mr. Hurd’s decision to pull out of the race, saying the former congressman “truly doesn’t have what it takes” in a statement on his Truth Social account.

“It’s about time! Will Hurd, the failed former Congressman from the great State of Texas, who decided not to run for Congress again because he did an ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE JOB (ZERO Personality!), and couldn’t win, has just now decided to drop out of the 2024 Presidential Campaign,” President Trump wrote. “Luckily for him, he couldn’t make the Debate Stage, but went out with a bang.”

Mr. Hurd did not qualify for the first and second Republican presidential debates. After failing to meet the criteria needed for the first debate, Mr. Hurd criticized the Republican National Committee (RNC) for adopting “arbitrary, unclear” poll standards that lacked “consistency.”

Republican presidential candidate former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley delivers remarks during the FOX Business Republican Primary Debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., on Sept. 27, 2023. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

2024 Race

Mr. Hurd said he believes Ms. Haley is the best Republican candidate to address national security challenges facing the United States.

“Our nation deserves a leader who can unite us and navigate the complex challenges we face, particularly when it comes to our national security. I believe Ambassador Nikki Haley is the best person in this race to do that,” Mr. Hurd wrote.

He continued: “Ambassador Haley has shown a willingness to articulate a different vision for the country than Donald Trump and has an unmatched grasp on the complexities of our foreign policy. I wholeheartedly endorse Ambassador Haley and look forward to supporting her for the remainder of this race.”

Ms. Haley took to X to thank the former congressman for his “support and confidence.”

“America is at a crossroads and it’s time to come together and make Joe Biden a one-term president,” she wrote. “We have a country to save!”

Ms. Haley continues to trail frontrunner President Trump in the GOP field. According to the latest national poll from Cygnal, the former president led with 58 percent of support, with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy finishing a distant second with 10 percent.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis netted 9 percent of support, while former Vice President Mike Pence and Ms. Haley each picked up 5 percent.

The poll asked 2,000 likely general election voters from Oct. 3 to Oct. 5.

In a hypothetical two-way race, President Trump and President Biden were tied at 45 percent.

With Robert F. Kennedy as an independent in the hypothetical race, President Trump had 40 percent of support, holding a 1-percentage-point lead over President Biden. Twelve percent of respondents supported Mr. Kennedy.

Mr. Hurd is not the first Republican candidate to suspend his presidential campaign. In August, Miami’s Republican Mayor Francis Suarez dropped out of the 2024 race, less than three months after filing paperwork for the GOP presidential nomination.