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Mike Pence has suspended his fledgling campaign for president days after Democratic Congressman Dean Phillips launched a bid to take on Joe Biden.
Mr Pence made the stunning announcement at an event in Las Vegas on Saturday, saying that after months on the trail: “It has come clear to me that this is not my time.”
The move narrows the GOP field for 2024 to nine: ex-president Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, ex-South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, ex-Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, North Dakota governor Doug Burgum, South Carolina senator Tim Scott, and ex-New Jersey governor Chris Christie.
Days earlier, Mr Phillips threw his hat into the ring on the other side of the race.
“If President Biden is the Democratic nominee, we face an unacceptable risk of Trump being back in the White House. I know this campaign is a long shot, but that is why I think it is important and worth doing,” Mr Phillips wrote on X.
The Minnesota rep joins Mr Biden and Marianne Williamson in his attempt to become the next president - after former Democratic candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr switched his campaign to independent affiliation.
