Former Texas Congressman Will Hurd suspended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination Monday evening and endorsed former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who has gained some momentum in the race following the GOP primary debates.
“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,” Hurd said in a statement, per NBC’s Alex Tabet.
Hurd becomes the second GOP candidate to drop out of the race, following Miami Mayor Francis Suarez who dropped out in August. Hurd’s campaign struggled from the beginning, and he did not qualify for either of the Republican primary debates that have been held so far.
Hurd spent a lot of time campaigning in New Hampshire, a state that will be in the spotlight later this week as presidential candidates officially file to appear on the state’s primary ballot, per NBC News’ Emma Barnett. The filing period opens on Wednesdayand many candidates will stay in Nashua for the New Hampshire GOP’s First in the Nation Leadership Summit over the weekend.
In other campaign news …
Party pressures: Biden is likely to face “competing pressures” from within his own party when it comes to his approach to Israel, per NBC News’ Peter Nicholas.
Special counsel interview: The special counsel investigating Biden’s handling of classified documents interviewed the president on Sunday and Monday, the White House said.
Biden vs. Trump: Former President Donald Trump on Monday blamed Biden for Hamas’ attack on Israel, and the Biden campaign responded by calling Trump “too dangerous to lead the United States on the world stage,” per NBC’s Jonathan Allen.
Independents’ Day: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., announced Monday that he is ending his run for the Democratic presidential nomination and instead running as an independent, per NBC News’ Alex Seitz-Wald and Katherine Koretski.
Trump trial: Special counsel Jack Smith argued in a new court filing on Monday that there is no reason to delay Trump’s trial in the classified documents case, NBC’s Dareh Gregorian and Daniel Barnes report.
Cruz cash: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, raised $5.4 million during the third fundraising quarter for his re-election campaign, ending June with $6.7 million in his campaign account, per Fox News.
