Rick Santorum bowed to the inevitable on Tuesday and ended his bid for the White House, virtually assuring that Mitt Romney will be the Republican candidate in November.
The decision to "suspend" his campaign came after a weekend in which the former Pennsylvania senator had taken time off from the campaign trail to celebrate Easter and the 21st birthday of his eldest daughter, Elizabeth.
But another Santorum girl, his youngest, Bella, who suffers from a rare, life-threatening genetic condition, was again taken ill while he was with his family. It was the second time this year that the 3-year-old had been hospitalized.
Santorum began his announcement, at what had been planned as a campaign speech in Gettysburg, Pa., by saying, "First and foremost, I want to thank everybody for the outpouring of prayers."
He called this past weekend, in which his daughter, Bella, was hospitalized "a passion play." Bella has now returned home, Santorum said. "She is a fighter and is doing exceptionally well and is back with us."
However, Santorum said, his daughter's recent illness "did cause us to pause and to think."
"We made a decision at our kitchen table to get into this race, against all odds, and we made a decision at our kitchen table this past weekend to suspend this campaign," Santorum told his supporters in Gettysburg.
He said his campaign "painted a hopeful positive vision for this country, how we can get this country turned around ... We tried to address the hopes and fears of Americans, especially the hopes and dreams" of Americans.
He repeatedly thanked his supporters. "I want to thank God and thank all of you across this country for giving us a voice, a voice for the voiceless."
Santorum had earlier called Romney to concede, Yahoo News reported.
Romney immediately released a statement:
“Sen. Santorum is an able and worthy competitor, and I congratulate him on the campaign he ran. He has proven himself to be an important voice in our party and in the nation. We both recognize that what is most important is putting the failures of the last three years behind us and setting America back on the path to prosperity.”
Santorum was a surprise as the last man standing in the bid to prevent Romney gaining the nomination. He had seen the campaigns of Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain all fold after they had challenged the former Massachusetts governor in the polls.
With just former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who are both polling at 10 percent or less left in the race, Romney now appears to have a clear run. He has already snapped up more than half the delegates needed to ensure his nomination at the Republican National Convention in Tampa in August.
“Rick has waged a remarkable campaign. His success is a testament to his tenacity and the power of conservative principles," Gingrich said in a statement. “I am committed to staying in this race all the way to Tampa so that the conservative movement has a real choice.
The decision to "suspend" his campaign came after a weekend in which the former Pennsylvania senator had taken time off from the campaign trail to celebrate Easter and the 21st birthday of his eldest daughter, Elizabeth.
But another Santorum girl, his youngest, Bella, who suffers from a rare, life-threatening genetic condition, was again taken ill while he was with his family. It was the second time this year that the 3-year-old had been hospitalized.
Santorum began his announcement, at what had been planned as a campaign speech in Gettysburg, Pa., by saying, "First and foremost, I want to thank everybody for the outpouring of prayers."
He called this past weekend, in which his daughter, Bella, was hospitalized "a passion play." Bella has now returned home, Santorum said. "She is a fighter and is doing exceptionally well and is back with us."
However, Santorum said, his daughter's recent illness "did cause us to pause and to think."
"We made a decision at our kitchen table to get into this race, against all odds, and we made a decision at our kitchen table this past weekend to suspend this campaign," Santorum told his supporters in Gettysburg.
He said his campaign "painted a hopeful positive vision for this country, how we can get this country turned around ... We tried to address the hopes and fears of Americans, especially the hopes and dreams" of Americans.
He repeatedly thanked his supporters. "I want to thank God and thank all of you across this country for giving us a voice, a voice for the voiceless."
Santorum had earlier called Romney to concede, Yahoo News reported.
Romney immediately released a statement:
“Sen. Santorum is an able and worthy competitor, and I congratulate him on the campaign he ran. He has proven himself to be an important voice in our party and in the nation. We both recognize that what is most important is putting the failures of the last three years behind us and setting America back on the path to prosperity.”
Santorum was a surprise as the last man standing in the bid to prevent Romney gaining the nomination. He had seen the campaigns of Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain all fold after they had challenged the former Massachusetts governor in the polls.
With just former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who are both polling at 10 percent or less left in the race, Romney now appears to have a clear run. He has already snapped up more than half the delegates needed to ensure his nomination at the Republican National Convention in Tampa in August.
“Rick has waged a remarkable campaign. His success is a testament to his tenacity and the power of conservative principles," Gingrich said in a statement. “I am committed to staying in this race all the way to Tampa so that the conservative movement has a real choice.
"I humbly ask Sen. Santorum’s supporters to visit Newt.org to review my conservative record and join us as we bring these values to Tampa. We know well that only a conservative can protect life, defend the Constitution, restore jobs and growth and return to a balanced budget."
Santorum's third rival, Ron Paul, also issued a statement on the former senator's decision: “Congratulations to Sen. Santorum on running such a spirited campaign. Dr. Paul is now the last – and real – conservative alternative to Mitt Romney. We plan to continue running hard, secure delegates, and press the fight for limited, constitutional government in Tampa.”
Santorum argued throughout that he was the only person with the conservative credentials to be able to go after President Barack Obama in the election.
He was particularly critical of Romney for signing a health care bill in Massachusetts which the administration says the president's Affordable Care Act was based on.
But as Romney streaked ahead in the polls, Santorum has found himself under increased pressure to pull out of the race, especially as his lead in his home state has been eroded by Romney and the prospect of being embarrassed by a defeat in Pennsylvania could have made his mind up for him.
Santorum's third rival, Ron Paul, also issued a statement on the former senator's decision: “Congratulations to Sen. Santorum on running such a spirited campaign. Dr. Paul is now the last – and real – conservative alternative to Mitt Romney. We plan to continue running hard, secure delegates, and press the fight for limited, constitutional government in Tampa.”
Santorum argued throughout that he was the only person with the conservative credentials to be able to go after President Barack Obama in the election.
He was particularly critical of Romney for signing a health care bill in Massachusetts which the administration says the president's Affordable Care Act was based on.
But as Romney streaked ahead in the polls, Santorum has found himself under increased pressure to pull out of the race, especially as his lead in his home state has been eroded by Romney and the prospect of being embarrassed by a defeat in Pennsylvania could have made his mind up for him.
Read more on Newsmax.com: Santorum Concedes, Suspends Campaign for White House
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