Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana whose presidential campaign made strides in early primary states, is ending his bid for the Democratic nomination.

Mr Buttigieg told supporters of his decision on Sunday evening, after a campaign aide had earlier confirmed his intention to drop out of the race for the White House.

He rose to prominence as the first openly gay candidate to seek the presidency, scoring a virtual tie with Bernie Sanders in Iowa and a strong finish in New Hampshire.

But Mr Buttigieg then slipped to third place in the Nevada caucus and barely registered with black voters in South Carolina, failing to capture a key demographic vital for the success of a Democratic nominee in the diverse electorates in crucial high-delegate states on Tuesday.

Speaking in South Bend, Mr Buttigieg said he entered the race in order to bring a certain set of values to the White House. "And so we must recognise that at this point in the race, the best way to keep faith with those goals and ideals is to step aside and help bring our party and our nation together," he said. "So tonight I am making the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the presidency."

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His absence could give a boost to Joe Biden as the leading moderate, or to Michael Bloomberg and Elizabeth Warren, as Sanders' opponents hope to edge him out of his lead and give his rivals enough votes to make them eligible for delegates - if Mr Sanders isn't their second choice.

Following an unsuccessful bid to chair the Democratic National Convention in 2017, Mr Buttigieg attracted significant media attention with his entry into the race, where the Afghan War veteran and Harvard and Oxford graduate was heralded as a moderate underdog.

But the former mayor was scrutinised for his controversies within his police department and his work with consulting firm McKinsey & Co, as well as significant backing from the health industry as he promoted a healthcare plan that took aim at Mr Sanders' vision of Medicare for All.

The campaign made a big advertising splash in South Carolina, second only to Tom Steyer, who made a third-place finish but dropped out of the race that night.

Ms Warren, who fell to fifth place in the state, after back-to-back fourth-place finishes, remains in the race.

Mr Buttigieg had been scheduled to head to Texas from Alabama, where he joined other candidates to commemorate the 55th anniversary of Selma's Bloody Sunday. His campaign then quietly announced a detour to Indiana, where he confirmed his decision to step aside.