Cooper Allen

USA TODAY

Former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore is ending his long-shot bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

Gilmore suspended his campaign following a poor performance in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday, which followed an even worse showing Feb. 1 in Iowa, where he barely campaigned and was the choice of only 12 caucusgoers. Fewer than a dozen people showed up at his New Hampshire election night party. "I think we could have won [the race] on the basis of credentials and ideas for the American people," he said that night. "But the political process overcame that."

Since his campaign's launch last July, Gilmore, 66, could lay claim to the dubious distinction of being the longest long shot in a GOP field that at one time featured many of them. After participating in the opening Republican undercard debate in Cleveland last August, Gilmore didn't make a debate stage again until Jan. 28 in Des Moines.

His quixotic bid became something of a social media curiosity. The hashtag #Gilmentum was regularly seen on Twitter, and Gilmore himself even seemed to embrace his long-shot status, tweeting after the departures of Rand Paul and Rick Santorum from the GOP field after Iowa: "Started out as 1 of 17 GOP Candidates, now with Rand Paul & Rick Santorum out, 1 of 9. #StillStanding."

Long-shot candidate Jim Gilmore brags about outlasting Rand Paul

Gilmore's exit from the race marks the latest disappointing campaign in a political career that once elevated him to national prominence. Elected governor of Virginia in 1997, Gilmore was chosen by then-President-elect George W. Bush in December 2000 to take the helm of the Republican National Committee. His tenure as party chief, however, was rocky and brief, and after reportedly clashing with White House aides like Karl Rove, he resigned after just a year on the job.

His 2016 White House bid was his second long-shot attempt at the Republican presidential nomination. He briefly sought the 2008 nod, but dropped out in July 2007 after just three months. He then ran for a U.S. Senate seat in Virginia, but lost by a nearly two-to-one margin to Democrat Mark Warner, who'd succeeded him as governor.

The day before Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, Gilmore predicted "there are going to be a number of surprising finishes tomorrow night, including mine," according to the Washington Examiner. Unfortunately for Gilmore, his finish proved to be as expected.