Republican Candidate Drops Out of Presidential Race: But who was it?

Following a disappointing show in the Iowa caucus, with only 4.5 percent of the votes, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul has officially dropped out of the 2016 presidential race.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "It's been an incredible honor to run a principled campaign for the White House," Paul said in a statement, according to the Washington Post. "Today, I will end where I began, ready and willing to fight for the cause of Liberty."

Son of Ron Paul, the former Texas congressman who ran for the Republican nomination in 2008 and 2012, Rand Paul had a difficult time finding the spotlight in a race dominated by the boisterous Donald Trump.

The Kentucky Senator not only faced issues in popularity, he was experiencing money problems. According to the Federal Election Commission, he only had $1.3 million at the end of 2015. This is compared to Trump, who claims he's worth $8.7 billion.

"We did not see a surge in fundraising on that fifth place finish," one of Paul's senior strategists said, according to Politico. "Some money came in. You keep paying bills and live a little bit off the land but to what point? We took fifth. What then? We take 9th? After New Hampshire, South Carolina - that was always going to be a disaster state no matter what position the campaign was in. So the calendar was getting worse for us in the short term."
Although his campaign may have proved unsuccessful, Paul stands in his Libertarian beliefs and is confident he offered Republicans a different perspective in gathering the young people's attention to the matters. 

"Across the country thousands upon thousands of young people flocked to our message of limited government, privacy, criminal justice reform and a reasonable foreign policy," he said. "Brushfires of Liberty were ignited, and those will carry on, as will I."

Paul will return to Kentucky and continue his work in the chamber while prepping for his Senate reelection campaign. He has notified his key aides and donors of his decision to drop out of the race.

According to Politico, Iowa caucus winner, Ted Cruz is quoted as describing Paul as "a friend" and "a very good man." Cruz also said he hopes to win over the Paul supporters. 

"Rand has been a tremendous voice for liberty in a sense that his father was for many, many decades," Cruz said

"He's a true believer on issues of limited government and liberty issues, and I respect him for it," Marco Rubio stated, speaking to reporters in New Hampshire noting Paul "ran a good race."

"Although, today I will suspend my campaign for President, the fight is far from over," expressed Paul in his statement. "I will continue to carry the torch for Liberty in the United States Senate and I look forward to earning the privilege to represent the people of Kentucky for another term."

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