Lindsey Graham Drops Out of Presidential Race

(CN) - South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham has dropped out of the race for the White House.

Graham, considered a long shot when he entered the race, nevertheless hoped his long record of involvement in national defense issues -- and the contrast between him and other, more inflammatory Republican candidates -- would make him the sane alternative to the likes of Donald Trump.

Ultimately, however, he became the fourth casualty in the race for the Republican nomination, after Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

In an interview with CNN Monday morning, Graham said, "I'm going to suspend my campaign. I am not going to suspend my desire to help my country."

This echoed an earlier statement posted on YouTube in which he mostly assailed President Barack Obama over the nation's response to ISIS.

But he also acknowledged securing the ultimately prize, the presidency, would be about far more than that.

"I believe we've run a campaign you can be proud of," he said to those "who have taken this journey with me."

"We put forward bold and practical solutions to big problems, like retiring our debt and fixing the broken immigration system," he continued. "This has been a problem solver's campaign."

In an email sent to supporters shortly afterward, Graham said, "the centerpiece of my campaign has been securing our nation."

"I have offered a detailed plan to win a war we cannot afford to lose and to turn back the tide of isolationism that has been rising in the Republican party," he said.

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