Republican Fred Thompson has officially withdrawn his bid for the United States presidency. This announcement comes after Thompson's third place finish in the South Carolina Republican primary, in which he received 16% of the vote, trailing Mike Huckabee and John McCain.
"Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States," Thompson said today. "I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people."
—Fred Thompson to his supportersHe hoped to do well in South Carolina after his disappointing showings in other primaries, including a sixth place finish in New Hampshire and fifth place finishes in Michigan and Nevada.
Thompson's campaign began in September when he announced his candidacy on The Tonight Show. However, this was long after the other Republican candidates had already started their campaigns. He had been contemplating a presidential bid since March and formed an exploratory committee in June.
Thompson served as a Tennessee senator for 8 years, from 1994 to 2002. He is also an actor who played a district attorney on the television series Law and Order.
The five Republicans left in the race are McCain, Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, and Rudy Giuliani.

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Fred Thompson quits U.S. Presidential race