When do Republican presidential candidates drop out of the race? Here's a timeline
With the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire primary behind us, both the Republican and Democratic parties are inching closer to deciding their nominees. The Nevada Democratic primary is the party's second political contest, following the South Carolina primary on Feb. 3. While there will be a state-run Republican primary the same day, a Republican caucus organized by the GOP will take place later this week on Thursday, dictating who is awarded the state's 26 delegates.
Competition is looking sparse in the Republican party, with only two candidates remaining and four more months of primary elections. This year, just a week after the Iowa caucus, Nikki Haley is the final candidate running against former President Donald Trump. 2024 is looking to be one of the shortest competitive primary seasons in recent history.
The crowded field of candidates tends to quickly diminish following the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary. During the 2016 Iowa caucus, 11 major Republican candidates competed on the ballot, receiving at least 1% of the vote. It only took 90 days for Trump to be the last man standing.
What is the timeline for Republican presidential candidates to drop out of the race? Data from the previous four election seasons shows that a majority of candidates withdrew from the race at least a month before the front-runner becomes presumptive nominee.
How long it took the republican primary to have a presumptive nominee
What was the longest republican campaign?
During the 2008 presidential primaries, Ron Paul stayed in the race even after John McCain became the presumptive nominee on March 4. From the New Hampshire primary on, Paul's campaign lasted a total of 156 days. When rerunning in 2012, Paul lost the nomination to Mitt Romney. Even after falling behind Mitt Romney early on, Paul lasted 233 days from the initial New Hampshire primary.
During the 2016 election, several candidates dropped out of the race after losing in the Iowa caucus or New Hampshire primary. John Kasich campaigned until May when he withdrew his candidacy a few weeks before Trump was named the presumptive nominee.
Read more about how the previous pool of presidential candidates compares to this year's bunch.
2024 election dates to know:Joe Biden, Donald Trump and other White House hopefuls face off
2 GOP candidates remain in race:How does this compare to years past?
