Lindsey Graham drops out of presidential race – 12/21/2015 7:39:09 PM

Graham had struggled to gain support among the crowded GOP primary field. “Wasn’t he nasty? Ew”, Trump said. “All I can say is that we need to fix immigration”.

Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks during the CNN republican presidential debate at The Venetian Las Vegas on December 15, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Graham thanked his supporters and staff for helping him throughout the campaign despite the low poll numbers across the country. “That should happen with our country – everybody goes against us, down the tubes”.

He’s picked up such a small level of support in the presidential race, South Carolina Republican Sen. Donald Russell, and Trump’s senior adviser in the state is Ed McMullen, veteran conservative activist and former president of the South Carolina Policy Council.

Even from 0.5 percent in the polls, Lindsey Graham did his part to make sure the next Republican president will make it his mission to fix everything Obama has done around the world. “That’s what Lindsey has had on the sidelines: big check writers”.

Despite being left off the main stage in all of the Republican debates, Graham maintained his penchant for mixing lighthearted wisecracks with doom and gloom pronouncements about the growing threat of terrorism. John McCain, the SASC chairman, said in a statement Monday that with Graham’s departure, the GOP lost its “most qualified, thoughtful, fearless and honest presidential candidate”, who had “the most national security experience”.

Now that Graham has exited the race, other bottom-tier candidates likely will follow his lead, Buchanan added.

Graham didn’t mention the ballot deadline in his video, but argued that his campaign had shaped the GOP debate regarding military intervention and the fight against the Islamic State terrorist group, also known as ISIL.

But though he never gained traction, Graham seemed to be enjoying himself during his campaign: he responded to Trump by filming a video of him breaking his phone in multiple ways, and could always be counted on to call out the tough-talking billionaire. But he has helped shape the conversation on the campaign trail particularly when it came to national security.

The Democratic National Committee also noted Graham’s exit.

“If Trump was not in this, then Graham would poll pretty high in South Carolina”, Aiesi said.

Senator Graham gave 110% effort in seeking the Republican presidential nomination.

In a taped interview broadcast later on CNN, the 60-year-old senator warned that the election is “not about 2016” but instead “an election for the heart and soul of the Republican Party”.