It’s all over for George Pataki, at least as far as 2016 goes.
The former New York governor, and Peekskill native, announced late Tuesday night that he was officially dropping out of the 2016 presidential race.
The three-term governor of New York struggled to gain traction within the Republican Party and never made it above 1 percent in national polls throughout the race.
Pataki addressed his supporters in a two-minute video posted on both his Twitter and Facebook accounts.
“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, “ Pataki said in the video. “Someone who will bring us together and understands that politicians, including the president, must be the people’s servant and not their master. I know the best of America is still ahead of us.”
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Pataki even teased his announcement with a tweet, posted three hours before.
“Friends and supporters outside of NH, SC and Iowa- please check back here or on Facebook for my special message during @NBCChicagoMed,” the tweet read.
Throughout his Presidential campaign Pataki was a supporter of states’ rights when it came to legislation and more notably he believed that American troops should be deployed to fight ISIS. His campaign tagline was simply, “People over Politics.”
As a presidential candidate, in his own words, Pataki wanted to “confront and defeat radical Islam, shrink the size and power of Washington, and unite us again in our belief in this great country.”
Governor of New York from 1995 to 2007, Pataki led the state through the World Trade Center terrorist attacks in 2001. Throughout his three terms, Pataki also worked on reviving the state’s economy.
In the race to the White House, the Republican Party is now down to 11 out of 17 original candidates following Pataki’s announcement. As for the Democrats, three out of six initial candidates remain.
