Carly Fiorina is dropping out of the Republican presidential race following a disappointing finish in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, according to Politico. The former Hewlett-Packard CEO, who made her announcement on Facebook, had trouble gaining traction throughout the primary season thus far and finished seventh in New Hampshire, ahead only of Ben Carson.
"While I suspend my candidacy today, I will continue to travel this country and fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them," Fiorina said in the Facebook post, according to CNN.
Fiorina, who has never held political office, struck a defiant tone, saying she "will not sit down and be quiet" in fighting against the "political class."
"This campaign was always about citizenship - taking back our country from a political class that only serves the big, the powerful, the wealthy, and the well connected," Fiorina said, according to NBC News. "Election after election, the same empty promises are made and the same poll-tested stump speeches are given, but nothing changes. I've said throughout this campaign that I will not sit down and be quiet. I'm not going to start now."
Fiorina also addressed her role as the only woman in the once large Republican field. "To young girls and women across the country, I say: do not let others define you," she said, USA Today reported. She also appeared to hit Gloria Steinem and Madeleine Albright, who made controversial statements about women and their lack of support for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. "Do not listen to anyone who says you have to vote a certain way or for a certain candidate because you're a woman. That is not feminism."
Fiorina's New Hampshire results and subsequent decision to leave the race are not a complete surprise. In the last debate before the primary, Fiorina was the only major candidate still in the race who did not make the stage, despite a campaign to overturn the decision. She called on the Republican National Committee "to act in the best interest of the Party that it represents," but it was to no avail.
