Bowing to the inevitable, Rick Santorum quit the presidential campaign yesterday, clearing the way for Mitt Romney to claim the Republican nomination.
Mr Santorum, appearing with his wife and family in his home state of Pennsylvania, told supporters the race for him was over, but the fight to defeat president Barack Obama would go on.
Mr Santorum made no mention of Mr Romney, and stressed that he had gone further than anyone expected, competing “against all odds”.
The delegate totals told the tale of Mr Santorum’s demise. Mr Romney has more than twice as many delegates as Mr Santorum and is on pace to reach the number needed to clinch the nomination – 1,144 – by early June.
Still in the race, but not considered a factor are former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul of Texas.
He made no mention or endorsement of Mr Romney, whom Mr Santorum had derided as an unworthy standard-bearer for the Republicans.
The former Pennsylvania senator said: “We are going to continue to go out there and fight to defeat president Barack Obama.” Mr Santorum spoke to Mr Romney ahead of his announcement, a Republican source close to the campaign said. Mr Romney congratulated Mr Santorum on his campaign, calling him an “able and worthy competitor”.
Mr Santorum had been hoping to hold out through the primary in Pennsylvania on April 24, but he decided to fold up after spending the weekend at home with his severely ill three-year-old daughter Bella.
Mr Santorum, a feisty campaigner who took everyone by surprise with his win in Iowa’s lead-off caucuses, ran on his conservative credentials. But he was hobbled by a lack of money and organisation.
Mr Santorum stressed the improbable accomplishment of the past year, saying that “against all odds, we won 11 states, millions of voters, millions of votes”.
He said that while Mr Romney was accumulating more delegates, “we were winning in a very different way. We were touching hearts” with his conservative message.
In a statement, Mr Romney said Mr Santorum “has proven himself to be an important voice in our party and in the nation. We both recognise that what is most important is putting the failures of the last three years behind us and setting America back on the path to prosperity.”
Factbox
• Mr Santorum, 53, was a member of the US House of Representatives from 1991 to 1995, and was in the US Senate from 1995 to 2007. In the 2006 election, he lost his seat to Democrat Bob Casey Jr by 18 percentage points, among the worst defeats of a Senate incumbent in US history.
• On the campaign trail Mr Santorum described himself as a conservative “Tea Party kind of guy before there was a Tea Party,” and touted his working-class background, social conservatism and Christian values. He is known for his opposition to abortion, criticism of homosexuality and opposition to the teaching of evolution in schools.
• Mr Santorum and his wife, Karen, have seven children. Their youngest child, three-year-old Bella, has a rare genetic condition known as Trisomy 18, and was hospitalised over the weekend.
• Overlooked at the start of the Republican race, Mr Santorum surged to the top of the field after a critical win in the Iowa caucuses by 34 votes and sweeping nominating contests in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota. His momentum began fading as former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the leading Republican hopeful, won several state contests and endorsements from Republican Party leaders.
• A devout Catholic of Italian ancestry, Mr Santorum put his faith at the centre of his campaign. He attacked Democratic President Barack Obama for an administration policy that would have required religious organisations such as Catholic hospitals to provide employees with health insurance plans that include birth control.