Lindsey Graham ends his presidential campaign

Sen. Lindsey Graham suspended his presidential campaign Monday, saying that he has concluded “this is not my time” despite making a difference in the race.

The South Carolina Republican made the comments in a YouTube video.

“Since launching my campaign for president on June 1, I have offered a path to saving the American dream and working together on bold solutions to solve big problems,” said Graham, one of the most hawkish foreign policy voices in the race who has nonetheless been stuck in the low single digits in polls.

“This has been a problem solvers’ campaign. I have tried to be honest with the American people, look for realistic ways to get things done, and inject a little humor along the way,” he said. “Most importantly, 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 added: “I believe we have made enormous progress in this effort. Four months ago at the very first debate, I said that any candidate who did not understand that we need more troops on the ground in Iraq and Syria to defeat ISIL was not ready to be commander in chief. At the time, no one stepped forward to join me. Today, most of my fellow candidates have come to recognize this is what’s needed to secure our homeland.”

Graham, a former military lawyer with decades of experience in government, often seemed dumbfounded by the circuslike atmosphere of the 2016 race.

In October, he offered this assessment of the crowded Republican field, talking first about Ben Carson, then about Donald Trump: “On our side, you’ve got the No. 2 guy tried to kill someone at 14. And the No. 1 guy is high energy and crazy as hell. How am I losing to these people?”

But with his poll numbers hovering around 1 percent, it was clear that the presidency was not meant to be for Graham.

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