In a stunning change of circumstances over the past thirty to sixty days, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will be officially ending his 2016 presidential campaign as of this evening. At one time considered the top name to beat in Iowa, Walker has faded quickly from the lead and entered polling obscurity following last week’s Republican presidential debate.
Report from the New York Times:
Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin has concluded he no longer has a path to the Republican presidential nomination and plans to drop out of the 2016 campaign, according to three Republicans familiar with his decision, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Mr. Walker called a news conference in Madison at 6 p.m. Eastern time.
“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.
Walker’s support had been drying up but the major issue which set in was the lack of money. Walker built out a very, very expensive and costly ground game in Iowa but due to falling poll numbers, the funding to run that operation has evaporated and the campaign simply cannot continue in a competitive manner.
Look for Walker’s support to head toward Rubio and perhaps a mix of others including Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush. Carly Fiorina may also benefit from this news since she’s been working on securing donors off the heels of her powerful debate performance last week.
