REUTERS/Jay Westcott
Republican presidential candidate and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush gestures while speaking during a town hall event at a VFW hall in Norfolk, Virginia, August 28, 2015.
"The people of Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken," Bush said in a speech. "And tonight, I am suspending my campaign."
Bush thanked his supporters and his campaign staff, who "never, ever, ever gave up."
"I've had an incredible life, and for me, public service has been the highlight of that life," Bush said. "But no matter what the future holds, here's the greatest ... landing you can imagine - tonight I'm going to sleep with the best friend I have and the love of my life."
He then leaned over and kissed his wife Columba on the cheek.
Bush was the favorite to win the Republican nomination, but his campaign lost momentum ahead of the primary voting as real estate mogul Donald Trump's campaign unexpectedly took off.
At the time he left the race, Bush had 8.3% of the vote in South Carolina with 58% of precincts reporting, putting him in fourth place behind the projected winner, Trump, and the two candidates battling for second place, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.