Rick Santorum dropped out of the presidential race Tuesday afternoon, essentially guaranteeing Mitt Romney the GOP nomination.
Santorum announced that he is suspending his campaign at an event in his home state of Pennsylvania — his first public appearance following the release of his daughter Bella from the hospital and after he took a break from the campaign trail for a long Easter weekend.
"While this presidential race is over for me, and we will suspend our campaign today, we are not done fighting," he said from Gettysburg, Pa., flanked by his family.
The former senator thanked his supporters for what he called the campaign's "improbable" success.
Santorum cited Bella's recent hospitalization as part of his thought process on suspending his campaign.
"She is a fighter and she is doing exceptionally well and she is back with us and our family," he said. "It did cause us to think of the role that we have as parents and with the rest of our family. This was a time for prayer and thought, this weekend, just like it was when we decided to get into the race."
For more on Santorum's announcement, click here.
