Jeb Bush is ending his bid for the White House after a disappointing finish in South Carolina’s primary.
Bush is in fourth place, well behind Donald Trump, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.
{mosads}He announced to supporters that he would suspend his campaign in at-times emotional remarks from his headquarters in South Carolina.
“I’m proud of the campaign we’ve run to unify our country and to advocate conservative solutions that would give more Americans the opportunity to rise up and reach their God-given potential,” he said.
“But the people of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken, and I really respect their decision. So tonight I’m suspending my campaign,” said Bush, choking up.
Bush’s wife Columba, who was also on stage, was visibly emotional as she wiped away tears after Bush’s comments.
The ultimate political insider, Bush came from a famous family and rich political connections. But the Bush name seemed to be more of a hindrance in a political cycle dominated by outsiders like Trump.
Trump entered the GOP race a day after Bush, who began his campaign on June 15 as the favorite. Trump’s attacks on Bush as “low-energy” resonated with GOP voters and hurt Bush, who struggled to compete with the business mogul.
The two men were side by side at the first GOP debate in August. Trump dominated that contest, and Bush slowly but surely was pushed farther from the center of stage in later debates as his campaign faltered.
Bush hurt himself with awkward moments on the campaign trail, and he struggled to outmaneuver home-state rival Rubio with his pitch of experience.
Cruz also topped Bush in polls and won the Iowa caucuses, while John Kasich bested Bush in New Hampshire.
The nail in Bush’s 2016 coffin came this week when South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who was tapped to deliver the Republican response to Obama’s State of the Union this year, endorsed Rubio.
Lisa Hagen contributed