Update, 6:35 p.m.: And it’s official. Walker has announced he is out of the race. Read all about his departure and what it means for the GOP race here.
Original post: The Republican presidential field is about to shrink by one. The New York Times reports that Scott Walker will announce this evening that he is dropping out of the race:
Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin has concluded he no longer has a path to the Republican presidential nomination and plans to drop out of the 2016 campaign, according to three Republicans familiar with his decision, who spoke on condition of anonymity. … “The short answer is money,” said a supporter of Mr. Walker’s who was briefed on the decision. “He’s made a decision not to limp into Iowa.”
Walker is expected to make it official at a press conference in Madison at 6 pm ET. The Wisconsin governor’s early departure from the crowded field is rather stunning given six months ago he was battling it out with Jeb Bush at the top of national polls.
Walker entered the race with the patina of an outsider and the establishment backing of an insider. But after seizing some momentum early in the year, he struggled to hold on to the spotlight in a summer dominated by Donald Trump—and was largely reduced to a bit player in both of the Republican presidential debates. In a CNN national poll conducted after last week’s debate, Walker failed to crack 1 percent support.
