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"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," said Pataki, who
ranked at the bottom of the Republican pack in a recent
Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Pataki, 70, made the announcement in a prime-time TV ad that
aired in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, which hold the
first three contests in the battle for the party's nomination.
His withdrawal is likely to have little impact on the Republican
race, which still has 12 candidates. Billionaire businessman
Donald Trump leads the field ahead of the opening contest on
Feb. 1 in Iowa.
Pataki has vowed not to support Trump if he is the Republican
nominee for the November 2016 election, saying the real estate
magnate is unfit to be president.
A former three-term governor who has not held office in nearly a
decade, Pataki was a moderate voice in a Republican field heavy
with conservative candidates.
As governor of one of the most Democratic-leaning states, he
supported abortion rights and signed tough gun control
legislation.
When he joined the Republican race in May, Pataki called for a
simplification of the U.S. tax code and vowed to repeal
President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law.
(Reporting by Emily Stephenson and Eric Beech in Washington;
Editing by Peter Cooney)
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