At the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, 60, suspended his campaign for the White House.
The former Massachusetts governor said during the Feb. 7 announcement that ‘ [i] n this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror. This is not an easy decision. I hate to lose.’ He also said that if he remained in the race, it would make ‘it easier for [Democratic candidates] Sen. Clinton or Obama to win.’
Romney won almost 300 delegates through Feb. 5, known as Super Tuesday. Sen. John McCain, the GOP front-runner, garnered 697 despite the fact that Romney outspent him. Some speculated that Romney’s number was diminished by the continued presence of Gov. Mike Huckabee, Romney’s chief rival in gathering conservative votes. Huckabee won several southern states on Super Tuesday.