Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum announced on Tuesday that he is dropping out of the Republican presidential race. At a campaign in Gettysburg, Pa., the site of the historic and pivotal Civil War battle, Santorum said, “We made a decision over the weekend that, while this presidential race for us is over — for me — and we will suspend our campaign effective today, we are not done fighting.” Santorum had been Mitt Romney’s top opponent, but he suffered three defeats last week in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Wisconsin. Santorum’s youngest daughter, Bella, was also hospitalized for the second time during his campaign, due to complications from a rare genetic disorder.
During his announcement, Santorum said Bella’s condition caused him to reconsider his campaign, but that she “is a fighter and doing extraordinarily well.” According to a Romney campaign official, Santorum called Romney before his announcement on Tuesday to inform him of his decision to withdraw. However, Santorum failed to mention Romney by name during his announcement, nor has he endorsed or urged the delegates that he has won to support another candidate. Spokesman Hogan Gidley told MSNBC that the Romney campaign has requested a meeting about an endorsement, which he said Santorum is “open” to. Santorum, reportedly, wants to remain active in the campaign to continue to grow conservative support for the general election.
