US Republican Lindsey Graham quitting race for White House

Peter Martinez
Updated
Low-Polling Lindsey Graham Exits Presidential Race
Low-Polling Lindsey Graham Exits Presidential Race

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said on Monday he is dropping out of the race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, leaving 13 candidates in the party's still-crowded field.

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"Today, I'm suspending my campaign for president," the South Carolina senator said in a video posted on YouTube.

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Graham, a hawk on defense and foreign policy, ranked in lowest tiers in opinion surveys of Republican voters in a race being dominated by a political outsider, real estate tycoon Donald Trump.

"I'm going to suspend my campaign. I'm not going to suspend my desire to help the country," Graham said. "I've hit a wall here."

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Graham said he was proud of what he called his bold, practical solutions on debt and immigration.

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Graham Ends Bid, What Happens Next?
Graham Ends Bid, What Happens Next?

"I got into this race to put forward a plan to win a war that we cannot afford to lose, and to turn back the tide of isolationism that was rising in our party. I believe we've made enormous progress in this effort," he said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC) - Profile InsideGov

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