UPDATE: In his heartfelt remarks, Rick Santorum said that “the American Dream is slipping through the hands of…Americans,” which was much of his motivation for entering the race. He said that the race “became less about my stories and more about your stories.” He added that while he is suspending his campaign, “we are not done fighting.”

Interestingly, he said that his decision was made over the weekend, which makes me believe that this decision was first and foremost about his daughter. And while he did not come out and say it, I believe that was his primary consideration. For that, Rick Santorum deserves high praise, and for not talking too much about his daughter, not really offering excuses or explanations for his decision, he deserves in higher praise.

It is no secret that I am not a big Rick Santorum fan, but the way he comported himself today has raised my view of the man substantially.

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My AmSpec colleague Jeff Lord just told me that he heard on Fox News that Rick Santorum is suspending his campaign for president.

Bloomberg is reporting the same here:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-10/santorum-suspending-bid-for-republican-nomination-person-says.html

Yesterday I predicted that Santorum would drop out now, though I also suggested that his reason would be his daughter’s health. It will be interesting to see whether he does indeed include that in his explanation.

I applaud Santorum’s move, regardless of the reason, because I think it helps the chances of beating Barack Obama.

And I congratulate Santorum on a remarkable performance this primary season, perhaps with less funding than any other “serious” candidate, he was the last serious challenger to Mitt Romney.

I wish Santorum and his family, particularly his daughter Bella, well, and even though I don’t agree with Santorum on some issues, I hope he maintains a voice within the GOP. It truly is a big tent, despite Democrat claims that it’s just the party of rich old white guys.