On Jan. 21, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis withdrew from his campaign for the 2024 presidential election.
DeSantis’ departure from the race is leaving some voters, like social studies teacher Samantha Phelps, concerned about how voters will react to the remaining elections.
“I think the Republican Party is going through a bit of a crisis right now when it comes to who’s going to lead them,” Phelps said.
She said having fewer candidates to choose from is not a good outcome for any voter, regardless of their party.
“Voters have less variety and choice among who’s going to get the Republican nomination, and in my opinion, less choice is never good,” Phelps said.
She also said she thinks that if former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley gets the Republican nomination over former president Donald Trump, more young voters will be enticed to vote and even join the Republican Party.
“Trump doesn’t have a lot of young folks in his base, so it could really make a difference,” Phelps said.
Phelps believes the lack of having multiple candidates to vote for, and not having a good grasp of what goes on behind the scenes at elections will affect how people vote in the future.
“I’m really worried about young voters, mainly because I see a lot of young voters who are not well educated in the complexities of election and policy,” she said.
Trump won his second primary, after DeSantis’ withdrawal, during the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 23. He surpassed Haley by 10.9% percent of the state’s votes. The next presidential primary will be held on Feb. 3 in South Carolina for the Democratic Party.