With little support and no prospects for success, former New York Governor George Pataki finally took the step political experts had long been expecting.
He’s dropped his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, with just over a month to go before the first nominating contests begin.
Pataki made the announcement in an ad that aired on local NBC affiliates in New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina Tuesday night.
“While tonight is the end of my journey for the White House as I suspend my campaign for president, I’m confident we can elect the right person, someone who will bring us together and who understands that politicians, including the president, must be the people’s servant and not their master,” said Pataki, 70.
A centrist Republican who led New York through the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Pataki failed to gain traction in a crowded field of candidates during an election season that has so far favored outsiders like billionaire businessman Donald Trump.
Bruce Breton, a local elected official and member of Pataki’s New Hampshire steering committee, said Pataki called him Tuesday afternoon to say he’d be exiting the race. Breton saidPataki’s campaign struggled to raise money and garner media attention.
“He said he couldn’t get any traction. He worked hard, it’s just a different type of year,” Breton said.
Ben Gamache, another member of Pataki’s New Hampshire steering committee, said he’d also spoken with Pataki earlier Tuesday. He said the former governor talked about the need to unify the party and the country.
Pataki had hung his hopes on doing well in early-voting New Hampshire, but he has barely registered in state or national polls.
He never made it onto a main GOP debate stage, where he would have had the chance to reach millions more viewers, and had trouble raising funds.
Pataki told USA Today in November that he would drop out if another candidate who could unite the party emerged. “If someone emerged who I believe could unite the party and lead the country and win the election, then there’s no need to run,” he said.
Breton said he’s already been contacted by a number of other GOP campaigns and received a personal phone call from Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who needs a strong finish in New Hampshire’s primary. For now, Breton isn’t ready to choose another candidate.
“I’m very saddened by it,” he said of Pataki’s departure from the race. “He’s a great guy.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The American Conservatives are fed up with the New York LGBT crap. These Yankees are sick perverts who are trying to brainwash our kids into thinking that is normal behavior when we are telling the kids it’s evil & demonic perversity. Being from New York Pataki is linked to it. That is what destroyed his chances.
Well, he said one thing right, ” the President works for the people as an elected official” obama doesn’t think he has to follow any rules!!!!!!
You’re right, it’s because of his color, if he was white he’d done been gone!!
It’s time for a few more bottom feeders to go including Jeb Bush.
AGREE!
Bush will not drop out. The republican committee has chosen him. not Trump. FOOLS.. Trump is the ONLY hope for the republican party if they want to WIN. GO Trump. Do NOT knuckle under to those fools running the republican party…..!!! TRUMP for PRESIDENT…..
r founding fathers intended it to be.
Trump for president!
He never had a snowball’s chance n hell to begin with, rather like about half of those who entered the race. But, at least they tried. The only Dem brave enough to take on the Hildebeast is an OLD socialist.
It is called “Curse of the Zeroes”, President Reagan is going to stay the oldest president sworn into office. That is why Pataki was never going to win, God would not allow it.
At least the Republicans had more than one or two people to run for the Presidency. I find it hard to believe that out of 400 million people so few are willing to run for office. I find it more difficult to imagine that out of that amount of people so few even take the time to vote. Only 25 to 30% of the population make up 100% of the vote. It’s YOUR FAULT WHO GETS ELECTED – SO GO VOTE- and Make America Great Again.
Amen. Trump needs the people to go to the caucus to win.
Who ever you vote for make sure your vote doesn’t go to a one person ruler like Obama has became over the past 8 years. AMERICANS NEED A MAN LIKE DONALD TRUMP. A man who knows the difference between poverty and living the American dream. Set your goals high and dream big. OUR TIME HAS ARRIVED AND ALONG WITH DONALD TRUMP “WE” CAN HELP MAKE AMERICA WHAT THE WORLD WANTS US TO BE.
Trump has my vote.
Trump does not know real poverty. He always was rich get a clue
Our “Obama” Government thinks our money is his to do whatever it takes to make Obama happy.
A business man knows that it is the people within the business that makes it a success or a failure – Donald Trump has been there and done that. HIS CHOICE OF PEOPLE TO GUIDE OUR “NEW REPUBLICAN” GOVERNMENT WILL MAKE AMERICA THE GREAT PLACE IT TRULY IS.
I think it’s time for the whole second tier of candidates to drop out. Let’s get on with the few top running ones like Trump,Cruz,Carson,Rubio, Fiorina and Paul.
My list is even shorter — Trump, Cruz, Carson, and Rubio. But that only leaves the establishment with one candidate, Rubio, so unfortunately they are pressed to keep Bush in the game (and he should have been gone about three months ago!!). Have nothing against Fiorina, but she blew her chance to gain serious momentum after the second debate, and she will not regain anything at this point. Whatever the case, the field certainly needs to be narrowed… NOW!!!!!
Why does this government need so much money to operate?
Example: EPA, IRS, DOE, (edu.) DOE,
and more; All need to make more laws and regulations to keep from being downsized. DON’T WE HAVE ENOUGH ALREADY! Give them a 8 year break from spending our money so they can keep their jobs at expense. At the end of that 8 year span lets see if we even need there services. (keep their existing laws enforced just do away with their departments).
Like a conservative demonstrator says, you’re all morans.
The Republicans have an abundance of candidates this election cycle. Several more need to head for the exit. It looks like I’m not the only one who couldn’t come up with a reason to support Gov. Pataki.
The idea that Trump is paying for his own campaign is for me, and should for all Americans, speaks volumes about his love of our country.
GO TRUMP !!
Most of is are not rich get a clue
I’ tried of hearing about the GOP complaining about Trump , because he is not one of the Established Elite, and can’t be controlled. He will get my vote. because he has a proven track record with business, and he is paying his own campaign and will owe no one if he wins. If we citizens want to take back this country , we need to Vote for a man who will stand up to the Old guard and tell them NO when he needs to. I feel that the established elite Dems and GOP are afraid Donald will put an end to their back room deals and cozy parties and even put a few in Jail . This scares the Hell out of them, and they want a man that they can control. Cruz may be good but he still is one of the established and will knuckle under, if pressured. just look at Ryan the Speaker of the House. he has already shown he is afraid to stand up to the KING. It’s time that we forget the PC crap and tell it how it is. I encourage people to support TRUMP. He can’t be any worse than want we have now.
The govt is supposed to be a political operation, not a country club where the rich and those they bought congregate to dispense the spoils of office. Tax revenues. There are only three things you can buy with money. Goods, services and politicians. Our political system, constitutional govt, has been compromised by money, big money. For many years now. Am I the only one that thinks these debates are just another scheme where big money controls the process? Until a change in how campaigns are funded we the voters will continue to be disenfranchised by them that have the big bucks will get the most votes. And be able to run, crawl for election. The first debates, between JFK and Nixon were sponsored by the League of Voters instead of the networks that are owned and operated by someone. To me the very idea of the networks being able to segregate and discriminate against some of the candidates makes me shutter and think in terms of rigged debates? Also O calling the GOP as being racist because they wanted voter ID to prevent, minimize fraud sounds like election tampering to me. But the beat goes on in American politics and the voters are left twisting in the wind of politics. Since the govt has always “operated” the actual voting by counting the votes, furnishing the voting machines, ballots all in an effort to make sure the voting is fair. Clearly the govt is responsible for keeping elections clean but is not involved in the campaigns? I think the govt should operate a TV network where pols could tell us all what they believed was appropriate for the country or the state or the county or the city and not have to raise millions of dollars to compete. After all, getting elected to an office where one is a public servant, not a king or queen or emperor or ayatollah or bishop or CEO, is actually just a job. Not an appointment as a ruler of America. Money has corrupted our political system. Trump himself has enough money to rock the boat since he is apparently not in need of diving up the spoils to his “buddies”? We sort of have a one party political system with two branches. The democrat and GOP branches are both part of the establishment party? We need to hope for real and positive change! No more more of the same?
As a presidential campaigner, Pataki was not a has-been; he was a never-was.
One irony I’m observing this year is that the Republican party has a tradition of selecting governors as their presidential candidates. To show how topsy-turvy this campaign season is going, all the candidates that have dropped out of the Republican race so far have been…wait for it…governors or former governors.
What does HE have to offer us? Why should we give him any thought?
Good Bye governor !