Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham Suspends Presidential Campaign

Sen. Graham told ABC News that he is not yet ready to announce who he will endorse for president, but said, “There’s lots of talented people in the race: Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, others”. Matt Moore, the chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, said Graham’s decision to leave the race will free up a battle for his supporters among establishment-oriented candidates.

Graham says that was the “centerpiece” of his campaign – which he says also brought forward ideas about retiring the nation’s debt and fixing the immigration system.

The three-term congressman did not specify why he is dropping out of the race but in national surveys Graham was accredited with no more than 1 percent support from likely Republican voters. I believe we’ve made enormous progress in this effort. He stated from the outset of his campaign that more US troops are needed, adding that “American soldiers will die in Iraq and eventually in Syria to protect our homeland”.

Graham’s poor poll numbers disqualified him from taking part in the previous five major Republican presidential debates. That was often a stark contrast to other candidates who joined Graham in blasting President Barack Obama as weak in his approach to Islamic State militants, yet hedged when it came to questions of ground forces.

With Graham’s exit, the endorsement of Senator John McCain is up for grabs-and given the former G.O.P. candidate’s popularity in New Hampshire, expect dozens of candidates to suddenly begin kissing his ring.

Known for his wit and hawkish approach to foreign policy, Graham sounded the alarm as he folded his hand, laying out the high stakes for the GOP.

It was a privilege to support my dear friend @LindseyGrahamSC – thank you for all you have done for the country you love & serve so well!

Graham once joked that if elected president, he could well form the first all-Jewish Cabinet.

“We haven’t been the wild-haired fanatic that people think we are when it comes to backing candidates”, said David Woodard, a political science professor at Clemson University, about SC.

He called Graham a “good guy, very amusing guy”. Graham never made it on to the main stage during any of the five televised debates held so far, meaning he never got to engage front-runner Donald Trump as he’d publicly hoped. We are proud of him for being the first South Carolinian in over sixty years to seriously compete for the White House.

Graham’s bid, which never cracked one per cent in primary polls, locked up an unusual amount of elite support.

Graham will continue to serve SC in the U.S. Senate.