The only candidate with a real chance to unseat President Obama in the upcoming elections has just dropped out of the race.
GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum announced he is suspending his presidential campaign today. Prior to his sudden announcement, polls had indicated that Santorum was in the best position to defeat President Obama than former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
Saying “The presidential race is over for us,” the former Pennsylvania senator cleared the way for conservative presidential candidate Romney to be declared the GOP nominee.
“We made a decision over the weekend that, while this presidential race for us is over — for me — and we will suspend our campaign effective today, we are not done fighting,” Santorum said at a campaign event in Gettysburg, Pa., the site of the historic and pivotal Civil War battle.
Santorum was criticized for not stepping down earlier, especially since his daughter, Bella, was hospitalized for the second time during the campaign for complications from a rare genetic disorder.
In announcing his decision, Santorum cited Bella’s condition as one of the reasons he was suspending his campaign. He said, Bella “is a fighter and doing extraordinarily well.”
