George Pataki is dropping out of the presidential race
Pataki officially announced on the NBC affiliates in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina on Tuesday that he'd be ending his campaign.
"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 can bring us together," Pataki said in an the video that aired Tuesday night.
The governor also alluded to Donald Trump's campaign slogan, laying out several goals that the future president would need to pursue in order to "truly make America great again."
Earlier in the day, he called supporters in New Hampshire on Tuesday to thank them for their support.Pataki's bid never seriously gained steam.
The ex-governor has struggled with fundraising, bringing in less than a million dollars over the course of his campaign. He has not polled above 1% support in national polls for months, and he failed to qualify for Republican primary ballots in Florida and Virginia. The governor's low poll numbers also prohibited him from qualifying for the main stage at any of the televised debates.
In recent days, the governor's kept a relatively low profile until Tuesday afternoon, when he tweeted these messages to his supporters:
According to NECN's campaign tracker, Pataki's campaign stops in New Hampshire, a key primary state, have dropped off significantly in December when other campaigns are ramping up. And while many presidential candidates tweet multiple times a day, Pataki's last post was a salute to US Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) on December 21, when Graham decided to bow out of the race.
Pataki, a more moderate Republican, has been one of the most vocal critics of Trump, criticizing his inflammatory statements about Muslims and Mexican immigrants.