Mitt Romney Drops Out of Race

By Anastacia Mott Austin

Some people found Mitt Romney’s announcement that he was dropping out of the Presidential nominating race shocking. To loud gasps and shouts of "No!" Romney made the announcement to a crowd of his supporters.

He did it, he said, in the name of fighting terrorism. "Frankly, in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror," said Romney, alluding to his view that if Obama or Clinton were elected, we would essentially be allowing terrorism to win. Both Obama and Clinton have said they would withdraw troops from Iraq.

The decision to end his campaign came on the heels of a disappointing finish after last Tuesday’s multiple-state primary, when he failed to capture the lead over John McCain.

Romney had poured nearly $40 million into his own campaign, and had hoped to win the bigger-delegate states on Tuesday, but lost to McCain, who now has an even clearer path to his party’s nomination.

McCain has also gained the support of several state governors, including California’s Arnold Schwarzenegger (though "Ah-nold’s" wife, Maria Shriver, is a supporter of Barack Obama). He also received a nod from Rudy Guiliani, who dropped out of the race after a dismal record in the early primaries.

The loss of Romney is a bitter one to conservative Republicans, who complain that John McCain is not conservative enough. Right-wing author and publicity seeker Ann Coulter has announced that she will campaign for Hillary Clinton if John McCain wins the nomination. "She’s more conservative than he is, and smarter," says Coulter.

This brings up a fascinating potential future match-up (and fodder for an upcoming article) in the Presidential race. If the two nominees for President are John McCain and Hillary Clinton, we’ll see some interesting dynamics occurring. Liberal Democrats think Hillary is too conservative, conservative Republicans think John McCain is too liberal. Will there be crossover votes? Some people find the two of them too similar. The difference? People actually find John McCain likable. (Sorry, that’s what the pundits tell me).

But back to Romney. As in the case of John Edwards (one of the more liberal of the Democratic candidates), folks see Romney’s withdrawal as noble, and shores up his image as a stand-up guy. Is he gunning for a Vice-Presidential spot?

Only time will tell. For now, the Republican race has narrowed to two major candidates (plus Ron Paul, who is hanging in there until the end, he says).

Political experts predict that Romney’s supporters will now turn to Huckabee, though conservatives may find themselves without a candidate they can get behind.

And for now, they’ll need some time to lick their wounds and mourn the loss of Romney.

Romney himself admitted his disappointment in quitting the race. Romney told the crowd, "If this were only about me, I’d go on. But it’s never been only about me. I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, in this time of war, I now feel I have to stand aside."

Added Romney, "This isn’t an easy decision. I hate to lose."