Jeb Bush is ending his bid for the White House after a disappointing finish in South Carolina’s primary.

Bush is in fourth place, well behind Donald Trump Donald John TrumpHR McMaster says president's policy to withdraw troops from Afghanistan is 'unwise' Cast of 'Parks and Rec' reunite for virtual town hall to address Wisconsin voters Biden says Trump should step down over coronavirus response MORE, Marco Rubio Marco Antonio RubioFlorida senators pushing to keep Daylight Savings Time during pandemic Hillicon Valley: DOJ indicts Chinese, Malaysian hackers accused of targeting over 100 organizations | GOP senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal | QAnon awareness jumps in new poll Intelligence chief says Congress will get some in-person election security briefings MORE and Ted Cruz Rafael (Ted) Edward CruzLoeffler calls for hearing in wake of Netflix's 'Cuties' Health care in the crosshairs with new Trump Supreme Court list 'Parks and Rec' cast members hosting special reunion to raise money for Wisconsin Democrats MORE.

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He announced to supporters that he would suspend his campaign in at-times emotional remarks from his headquarters in South Carolina.

“I’m proud of the campaign we’ve run to unify our country and to advocate conservative solutions that would give more Americans the opportunity to rise up and reach their God-given potential," he said.

“But the people of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken, and I really respect their decision. So tonight I’m suspending my campaign,” said Bush, choking up.

Bush's wife Columba, who was also on stage, was visibly emotional as she wiped away tears after Bush's comments.

Bush failed to finish any higher than fourth place in early GOP contests despite a campaign backed by outside groups spending millions on his behalf.

The ultimate political insider, Bush came from a famous family and rich political connections. But the Bush name seemed to be more of a hindrance in a political cycle dominated by outsiders like Trump.

Trump entered the GOP race a day after Bush, who began his campaign on June 15 as the favorite. Trump's attacks on Bush as “low-energy” resonated with GOP voters and hurt Bush, who struggled to compete with the business mogul.

The two men were side by side at the first GOP debate in August. Trump dominated that contest, and Bush slowly but surely was pushed farther from the center of stage in later debates as his campaign faltered.

In his Saturday speech suspending his campaign, Bush seemed to take a parting shot at Trump.

“In this campaign, I have stood my ground, refusing to bend to the political winds,” Bush said. “We put forward detailed, innovative, conservative plans to address the mounting challenges that we face.



“Because despite what you might have heard, ideas matter. Policy matters,” Bush added.

Bush hurt himself with awkward moments on the campaign trail, and he struggled to outmaneuver home-state rival Rubio with his pitch of experience.

Cruz also topped Bush in polls and won the Iowa caucuses, while John Kasich bested Bush in New Hampshire.

The nail in Bush's 2016 coffin came this week when South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who was tapped to deliver the Republican response to Obama's State of the Union this year, endorsed Rubio.

Lisa Hagen contributed