Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum will drop out of the 2016 presidential race, according to reports based on Republican party sources. Santorum is expected to make his announcement on Wednesday evening, as well as endorse one of the remaining candidates, according to CNN.
Fox News Host Greta Van Susteren tweeted Wednesday morning that Santorum will be joining her Wednesday evening to make two announcements.
. @RickSantorum will be ON THE RECORD at 7pm - with TWO announcements.....
— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) February 3, 2016
The former Pennsylvania senator will make the fourth causality - the third Republican - of Monday night's Iowa caucuses. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul have all dropped out since the early voting state's results were announced.
Santorum, who won the Iowa caucuses in 2012, was unable to gain any momentum this year resulting in just 1 percent of Iowa support. Even one precinct captain in Iowa failed to cast a vote for Santorum, citing a problem with his pen, according to The Hill.
In recent national polling, Santorum could not muster even a half of a percentage point, according to averages compiled by RealClear Politics.
Santorum at one point appeared to be taking the Iowa results in stride, announcing a 46-county tour of South Carolina after the evening's numbers were released. Earlier on Wednesday, Santorum canceled the tour, raising questions about his campaign's future, according to The Hill. "The Santorum Campaign is working to reschedule the Senator's events and he looks forward to returning to South Carolina soon," the campaign said in a statement.
In the final debate before the Iowa caucuses, Santorum pleaded with the people of Iowa to reject Trump, the "entertainer" and "pick the right person," according to The Washington Post.
"Here's what I'm asking you to do," he said. "You're good people. You know good leaders. Lead. Pick the right person, not what the polls say. Not who the money give people to. Pick the leader you know is best for this country."
