Jeb Bush, once considered the Republican party’s presumptive nominee, has suspended his campaign for the presidency of the Unites States.
The former Florida governor called it quits after a dismal showing in South Carolina’s primary.
“The people of Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken, and I really respect their decision, so tonight I am suspending my campaign,” Bush told supporters.
Bush entered the GOP race with high expectations and a massive fundraising apparatus but was never able to gain traction in a cycle dominated by political-outsider candidate Donald Trump.
Bush was hoping to turn things around in South Carolina, where his brother, former President George W. Bush, remains popular among Republican voters.
Former President George W. Bush even made a campaign appearance for his brother in South Carolina on Monday, his first since leaving office.
But with about half the vote counted, Bush came in a distant fourth place.
“I congratulate my competitors that are remaining on the island on their success for a race that has been hard-fought,” Bush said during his speech on Saturday. “Just as the contest for the presidency should be, because it is a tough job.”
BREAKING: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush ends his bid for the Republican nomination for president
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 21, 2016