Rick Santorum suspends campaign (VIDEO, PHOTOS)
Surrounded by members of his family, Republican presidential candidate, former US Sen. Rick Santorum announces he will be suspending his campaign during a press conference at the Gettysburg Hotel on April 10, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Santorum’s 3-year-old daughter, Bella, became ill over the Easter holiday and poll numbers showed he was losing to Mitt Romney in his home state of Pennsylvania.
Rick Santorum suspended his presidential campaign today. He announced his withdrawal from the race at an event in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
A source told CNN that Santorum had already informed GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney of his decision earlier today.
"We made a decision over the weekend while this presidential race is over for me and we will suspend our campaign effective today, we are not done fighting," Santorum said.
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Santorum's withdrawal from the race all but hands Romney the Republican nomination, even though the former Massachusetts governor only has 60 percent of the delegates required to secure the nomination. Although Santorum is second in the delegate race, he would have needed to win upwards of three-fourths of the remaining delegates in order to secure the nomination, according to The Washington Post.
The former senator of Pensylvannia has had a rough week. Not only did he lose contests in Maryland, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, but his 3-year-old daughter, Bella, was hospitalized with pneumonia for a second time this year.
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However, Santorum plans to "stay involved and stay active in the next couple of months," another source told CNN. Santorum told the audience:
"We were winning in a very different way. We were touching hearts, we were raising issues that many people didn't want raised."
Additionally, by suspending his campaing instead of terminating it, Santorum can also continue to raise funds.
Fellow GOP candidates Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich both quickly congratulated Santorum and said they were both staying in the race.
"Congratulations to Senator Santorum on running such a spirited campaign. Dr. Paul is now the last – and real – conservative alternative to Mitt Romney," the Paul campaign said in a statement.
The Gingrich camp said Santorum had "waged a remarkable campaign" and that his "success is a testament to his tenacity and the power of conservative principles," according to CNN.
Gingrich called on Santorum's supporters to visit his website and throw their support behind him.