Lindsey Graham Drops Out Of GOP Presidential Race

In a crowded race that at one point had 17 candidates, Senator Graham was swamped by political outsiders including Mr Trump and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, as well as fellow Republican senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Rand Paul. “You have honored me with your support”, said Sen.

Graham previously had said he planned to wait until the February 9 New Hampshire primary to re-evaluate his campaign.

Meanwhile, Graham, who faced six challengers during the GOP primary in his 2014 Senate re-election campaign, has just a 53 percent approval rating among South Carolina Republicans and 40 percent disapproval, according to the Winthrop poll.

“If Trump was not in this, then Graham would poll pretty high in South Carolina”, Aiesi said. “Reagan consolidated the Republican coalition”, Shirley said.

“Of all the people that could have an influence on the race, I think Tim Scott is in a position to have the strongest influence”, said Robert Oldendick, a University of SC professor.

174-c-21-(Mark Smith, AP White House correspondent)-“time gaining traction”-AP White House Correspondent Mark Smith reports Lindsey Graham’s exit from the GOP race is hardly a surprise”. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington.

But Moore said that based off conversations with the small campaign staff, Graham himself and some top backers would likely take the holiday break before making any big announcements.

“It remains to be seen where most of those supporters go because we’re still seeing a great deal of shuffling in public opinion”, said Buchanan, noting the rise of U.S. Sens.

Democrats painted Graham’s exit as a sign the Republican Party has lost its way, breaking promises to be inclusive in favor of policies of discrimination. In addition, McCain no longer has a candidate in the race, and his backing could be valuable to either Rubio or Christie as they battle for New Hampshire. “Wasn’t he nasty? Ew”, Trump said.

But asked by CNN whether he would support Trump or Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, if the race came down to those two candidates, Graham said, “I’m going to support the Republican nominee”.

He also warned Americans against nominating Donald Trump for president.

The 60-year-old senator told CNN the election is “not about 2016” but instead “an election for the heart and soul of the Republican Party”.