Lindsey Graham drops out of 2016 presidential race

WASHINGTON — South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham ended his bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Monday, saying "I'm going to suspend my campaign. I'm not going to suspend my desire to help the country."

Despite being a well-liked senator who rose to prominence for his fiery rhetoric during the Bill Clinton impeachment proceedings in the late '90s, Graham's campaign struggled to stand out among his better funded and organized rivals.

Graham's decision to suspend his presidential campaign was first reported by CNN.

In the CNN interview, Graham acknowledged that he had "hit a wall."

Congrats to Lindsey Graham, who's dropping out and thereby showed good sense. Frees up SC pols to shake up the GOP POTUS race.

— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) December 21, 2015

Graham was relegated to the second-tier Republican presidential debates, where he repeatedly delivered strong — and at times, entertaining — performances. However, that never translated into support in the polls.

He was also a forceful critic of Republican businessman Donald Trump, calling him recently a "race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot" who is unfit to represent the Republican Party.

Graham, a former Air Force lawyer and judge, brought a hawkish foreign policy voice into the crowded GOP field.

Graham's decision to drop out of the race today means that his name will not appear on the ballot for South Carolina's Feb. 20 primary. That will allow South Carolina's politicians, many who have so-far stayed on the sidelines, the opportunity to take sides in the Republican race without breaking loyalty to Graham.

He did not offer up an endorsement for any of his rivals for the Republican nomination. In a video message to supporters posted on his website, he said he believed he had left a lasting influence on the foreign policy debate.

"Four months ago at the very first debate, I said that any candidate that did not understand that we need more American troops on the ground in Iraq and Syria to defeat ISIL was not ready to be commander-in-chief," Graham said. "At that time, no one stepped forward to join me. Today, most of my fellow candidates have come to recognize this is what’s needed to secure our homeland."

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry have also abandoned their bids for the Republican nomination. There are 13 GOP candidates remaining in the race.