Political expert weighs in on Desantis' presidential bid drop

(WSET) — A local political expert is weighing in on how the New Hampshire primaries on Tuesday could play out, now that Florida Governor Ron Desantis is out of the race for the White House.

Dr. David Richards, chair of Political Science for the University of Lynchburg, said he was expecting Desantis to take his name out of the hat, but he didn't expect it to happen right before the New Hampshire primary. Dr. Richards thought Desantis would have waited until South Carolina since he was targeting his efforts to the Palmetto state, but ultimately, his campaign wasn't bringing in enough traction.

Dr. Richards said Desantis' suspension will benefit one of the remaining candidates more than the other.

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"Niki Hayley is a much more moderate kind of old-school Republican, so I don't think people who supported Desantis are going to go to Hayley. I think they'll go to Trump," explained Dr. Richards.

He expects Hayley will fall behind by double digits in Tuesday's primary, anywhere from 12% to 20% behind the former President. Dr. Richards said if Hayley can't close that gap, it's only a matter of time before she drops out too.

"From here on out, most states are winner take all, so if Trump wins, he gets all the delegates, so she won't really be able to build that coalition of delegates that could challenge Trump at a convention. Unless she can start winning outright, she should end her campaign," said Dr. Richards.

Dr. Richards believes she will continue her campaign in South Carolina since she was previously governor in that state. However, even though it's her home state, Trump is still leading in the polls there.