Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld exited the Republican presidential primary on Wednesday afternoon.
NEW: Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld has suspended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination pic.twitter.com/w9BI0mo0ma
— NPR Politics (@nprpolitics) March 18, 2020
Inbox: Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld: "I hereby announce that I am suspending my candidacy for President of the United States, effective immediately."
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 18, 2020
Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld ends his Republican presidential campaign https://t.co/JviCvYFLcb pic.twitter.com/XlByvPH5fO
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) March 18, 2020
The former Governor tried to emerge as a legitimate challenger to President Trump, by courting moderate Republicans who do not favor the president:
.@realDonaldTrump may WANT voters to ignore us, but it's not up to him.https://t.co/mFnI3CQuWe
— Gov. Bill Weld (@GovBillWeld) February 15, 2020
Weld had been awarded one delegate in the GOP primary contest:
Bill Weld ended his quixotic primary campaign against President Donald Trump today after winning only a single delegate in the 2020 contesthttps://t.co/o2W3YsHfND
— POLITICO (@politico) March 18, 2020
“I am immensely grateful to all the patriotic women and men who have stood with me during the past eleven months in our effort to bring better government to Washington, D.C,” Weld said, per The Hill.
Weld’s long-shot bid against President Trump for the nomination never gained much traction. Weld was the first Republican to announce a primary bid against President Trump, followed by former Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh. President Trump’s nomination was made to be all but a done deal after primary victories in Florida and Illinois on Tuesday night.