Rand Paul Stuns His Supporters
Just hours after telling his supporters the race for the White House was still “wide open,” U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told them Wednesday morning he was suspending his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
His campaign released the following statement a few moments ago:
“It’s been an incredible honor to run a principled campaign for the White House. Today, I will end where I began, ready and willing to fight for the cause of Liberty.
“Across the country, thousands upon thousands of young people flocked to our message of limited government, privacy, criminal justice reform and a reasonable foreign policy. Brushfires of Liberty were ignited, and those will carry on, as will I.
“Although today I will suspend my campaign for president, the fight is far from over. I will continue to carry the torch for Liberty in the United States Senate and I look forward to earning the privilege to represent the people of Kentucky for another term.”
Paul finished fifth in Iowa, but with far fewer votes than his campaign anticipated. He faced the prospect of a next-to-last-place finish in New Hampshire next week, based on current polling data.
He is heavily favored to win re-election to the Senate.