COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Republican Sen. Rand Paul dropped his 2016 campaign for president Wednesday, eclipsed by other candidates who kept his base of support from growing into a viable force in the crowded 2016 field.
Campaign spokeswoman Eleanor May confirmed the move to The Associated Press, saying a statement would be forthcoming.
It was an end long in the making. Paul launched his presidential candidacy determined to improve the Republican party’s appeal with younger voters and to upend the way Washington works. But Paul and his appeals to reject American political dynasties and “to take our country back” was ultimately out-shouted by billionaire Donald Trump. Pledging to “make American great again,” Trump, his insults and vague policy positions captured the attention of angry, change-seeking Americans.
Paul’s campaign initially seemed to capture the anti-establishment mood clearly settling over the electorate.
Though he’s a senator – and the son of former Rep. Ron Paul – Rand Paul is no Washington insider. He was elected in the tea party-driven wave of 2010 and tangled often with GOP leaders.