Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker speaks during the RedState Gathering at Intercontinental Buckhead Hotel on Saturday, August 8, 2015. HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM
WASHINGTON — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who not long ago was one of the top contenders for the presidency, is dropping out of the race today, according to the New York Times.
Walker has scheduled a news conference at 6 p.m. in Madison, Wis. The Times has the scoop on what he’ll say, citing “three Republicans familiar with his decision:”
“The short answer is money,” said a supporter of Mr. Walker’s who was briefed on the decision. “He’s made a decision not to limp into Iowa.”
Mr. Walker’s intended withdrawal is a humiliating climb down for a Republican governor once seen as all but politically invincible. He started the year at the top of the polls but has seen his position gradually deteriorate, amid the rise of Donald J. Trump’s populist campaign and repeated missteps by Mr. Walker himself.
In the most recent CNN survey, Mr. Walker drew support nationally from less than one-half of one percent of Republican primary voters. He faced growing pressure to shake up his campaign staff, a step he was loath to take, according to Republicans briefed on his deliberations.
While Walker had made his most aggressive play for Iowa, he was working the South, too. His Georgia endorsers were led by U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Gainesville. Walker had visited Atlanta multiple times during the campaign, most recently for last month’s RedState Gathering.
Walker joins former Texas Gov. Rick Perry as early dropouts. The Iowa caucuses are just more than four months away.
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