Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush speaks during a campaign rally in Charleston, South Carolina, February 15, 2016. (AFP Photo)
Highlights
- Republican Jeb Bush drops out of US presidential race
- Bush opts out after disappointing finish in South Carolina primary
- Bush had entered the 2016 campaign as the favorite
Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said on Saturday he was suspending his campaign after a disappointing finish in the South Carolina primary.
Bush, who also fared poorly in earlier contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, said the race had been "hard fought" but that voters of those three states had spoken. In what appeared to be a jab at Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, whom Bush has accused of lacking ideas, the former Florida Governor said, "ideas matter, policy matters."
Bush, the son of former President George HW Bush and brother to former President George W Bush, entered the 2016 campaign as the favorite, but was unable to convert a sizable fundraising advantage into success at the polls.
© Thomson Reuters 2016