Republican Lindsey Graham drops out of presidential race

WIRE REPORTS

COLUMBIA, S.C. — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has suspended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.

Saying “this is not my time,” the South Carolina Republican announced his decision Monday in an email from the campaign.

In a video message, Graham said he ran to make foreign policy a top issue.

Graham said early on in his campaign that “any candidate who did not understand that we need more American troops on the ground in Iraq and Syria to defeat ISIL is not ready to be commander in chief.”

“At that 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.”