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Gilmore: ‘I don’t expect to be the nominee’

by Jesse Byrnes - 04/13/16 3:36 PM ET

Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, who failed to make a dent in polls when he was in the Republican presidential race, on Wednesday told CNN he doesn’t expect to be the GOP nominee.

“Oh, well, look — I ran for president, I ran hard because I thought I had the foreign policy and governing experience that was better than the other candidates,” Gilmore told CNN’s Brooke Baldwin when asked about his name potentially emerging on a ballot.

{mosads}”But at the end of the day, the situation developed in such a way that I could not be the nominee,” Gilmore continued. “I don’t expect to be the nominee. But I do hope that I have a chance to go to Cleveland with the Virginia delegation so that I can play a constructive role.”

His remarks come as speculation swirls surrounding a potential outside candidate to emerge as the Republican nominee at a contested convention in July, with Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Tuesday ruling himself out.

Gilmore also weighed in on the harsh rhetoric from Donald Trump toward the Republican National Committee, saying the GOP “bridge to the presidency has been burned down” but adding that Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, which he compared to an “alligator,” could not become president.

Tags 2016 GOP primary contested convention Donald Trump Hillary Clinton Paul Ryan