WASHINGTON (WCBD)- Former Texas congressman Will Hurd announced Monday that we was suspending his 2024 presidential bid and endorsing former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley instead.

“Unfortunately, it has become clear to me and my team that the time has come to suspend our campaign,” Hurd wrote in an Oct. 9 post on X (formerly 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 Biden.”

In encouraging his party to rally behind a Trump-alternative, Hurd pointed to Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, citing her “unmatched grasp on the complexities of our foreign policy.”

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

He also issued a warning to fellow Republicans.

“If the Republican party nominates Donald Trump or the various personalities jockeying to imitate his divisive, crass behavior, we will lose,” Hurd wrote.

Hurd was the last major candidate to join the already crowded Republican primary field when he announced his run in late June. He leaves the race barely three months later, after failing to gain traction as pragmatic moderate who pledged to lead the party away from Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement. Hurd failed to qualify for both the first GOP debate in Milwaukee in August and the second debate the following month in Simi Valley, California.

“America is at a crossroads and it’s time to come together and make Joe Biden a one-term president,” Haley wrote on X in response to Hurd’s endorsement. “Thank you @WillHurd for your support and confidence. We have a country to save!”

Hurd has long been a fierce Trump antagonist, even encouraging the then-Republican presidential nominee to leave the 2016 race when the “Access Hollywood” tape in which Trump brags about sexually assaulting women was made public in the final weeks before Election Day.

He was hoping to resonate with voters seeking a pro-business Republican with a strong national security background who was also unafraid to seek bipartisan consensus. He announced his candidacy criticizing both Biden and Trump, saying the president wasn’t up to securing the U.S.-Mexico border, combating fentanyl smuggling that has led to epidemic of American overdoses and violent crime and homelessness in the country’s cities.

“President Biden can’t solve these problems — or won’t,” Hurd said in his announcement video. “And, if we nominate a lawless, selfish, failed politician like Donald Trump — who lost the House, the Senate, and the White House — we all know Joe Biden will win again.”

Hurd stepped up his public criticism of Trump as the former president was repeatedly indicted and now faces four separate criminal cases and 91 total charges. Trump still holds a fundraising advantage and commanding lead in early primary polls.

The former president took to Truth Social late Monday to criticize Hurd after he announced he was dropping out of the 2024 race, saying “it’s about time.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.