Senator Rand Paul drops out of presidential race
US Republican Senator Rand Paul has announced the end to his bid for presidency, after ranking fifth in the Iowa presidential caucuses.
“It has been an incredible honor to run a principled campaign for the White House. Today, I will end where I began, ready and willing to fight for the cause of Liberty," Paul said in a statement Wednesday.
“Across the country thousands upon thousands of young people flocked to our message of limited government, privacy, criminal justice reform and a reasonable foreign policy. Brushfires of Liberty were ignited, and those will carry on, as will I,” the senator from Kentucky added.
Paul, 53, further noted that he will now focus on his reelection to the US Senate. “Although, today I will suspend my campaign for president, the fight is far from over. I will continue to carry the torch for liberty in the United States Senate and I look forward to earning the privilege to represent the people of Kentucky for another term."
According to a campaign source, Paul informed his senior staff about the decision on Monday and held a conference call on Tuesday to inform his entire campaign.
The Kentucky senator, who entered the race on a wave of publicity, failed to repeat the campaign successes of his father, former GOP Congressman and two-time presidential candidate Ron Paul, and only managed to attract less than 5 percent of the votes in Iowa.
Throughout his campaign, Paul never ceased attacking his Republican opponents over issues like government spending and surveillance programs. In response, his rivals believed his views would end up undermining national defense.
After Democratic contender Martin O'Malley and Republican hopeful Mike Huckabee, Paul is the third candidate to drop out of the race following poor Iowa results.
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