WASHINGTON - Republican Sam Brownback will drop out of the 2008 presidential campaign on Friday, people close to the Kansas senator told NBC News Thursday.
Trouble raising money was a main reason for his decision, said one person close to Brownback, who requested anonymity because the candidate had not yet announced his plans.
Brownback, a lesser-known conservative contender, is expected announce his withdrawal in Topeka, Kan.
The senator is widely expected to seek the Kansas governor’s office in 2010, when his term—his second—expires. He had promised in his first Senate campaign to serve no more than two terms.
Brownback had raised a little more than $800,000 from July through September and around $4 million overall. He is eligible for $2 million in federal matching funds.
So the GOP presidential field has seen Virginia Governor James Gilmore, former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, and now Brownback, drop out of the race. Now Brownback is an interesting candidate, since he is a hard-lined conservative and is something of a darling to the Religious Right. But he was never able to utilize the strong conservative and Religious Right credentials to become a national consensus candidate. I find it ironic how Focus on the Family's James Dobson is screaming at how he will place his support for a third-party candidate if Rudy Giuliani is nominated as the Republican presidential candidate, rather than considering to support a strong conservative as Sam Brownback. And while I totally do not agree with Sam Brownback on social issues, at least he had the integrity to remain consistent with his beliefs on social issues, rather than playing the flip-flopper on social issues for political gain, as we've been seeing with Giuliani, and Mitt Romney.
Then there is this news of Sam Brownback running for the Kansas governor’s office in 2010. That may be a more plausible office for Brownback to win. At the moment, Kansas is a reliable red state for a Republican candidate to run in, and win. This 2008 presidential race may have been a stepping stone for Brownback in getting his name out on a national level, while he continues preparations for the governor's race. Also remember that Brownback is not completely dropping out of politics--he still has his senate seat to remain in Kansas politics, until 2010. So we'll certainly be seeing Brownback for Kansas Governor signs fairly soon.
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