Former Congressman Joe Walsh Ends Bid For Republican Nomination

Former Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Ill., announced that his campaign to challenge President Donald Trump for the Republican Party nomination will be coming to an end.

Despite facing a clear uphill battle, Walsh began his campaign last August to oust Trump. Although Walsh supported Trump in 2016, he has since lamented how the president had helped to usher in an era of “personal, ugly politics.” Walsh, a staunch Tea Party Republican, has said that he regrets backing Trump and admitted he and others had helped enable the president to reshape the culture in Washington, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Walsh’s primary bid was less than welcomed by the Republican Party establishment, as a number of states announced that they would not participate in the primary process this year, effectively making Trump the presumed nominee. Walsh also failed to have his name placed on the primary ballots in several states as well. Between those issues and Walsh’s struggle to gain financial supporters, the campaign had little hope of succeeding.

In a tweet announcing the end of his campaign, Walsh wrote that he’s “committed to doing everything I can to defeat Trump and his enablers this November.”

For Walsh, his candidacy was primarily built on his opposition to Trump, repeatedly calling him an “unfit” president who must urgently be removed from office. His lack of attention to policy no doubt did little to motivate support, however.

Walsh also faced controversy over his posts on social media; he has since admitted that “there were some times when I went over the line and said things to be a little too provocative.”

Walsh hasn’t been the only Republican looking to take the presidential nomination away from Trump. For a brief period, former Rep. Mark Sandford, R-S.C., was also in the running, but he has since dropped out.

With Trump no longer facing any primary challengers – and with the impeachment trial now behind him – he can put his energies into his bid for re-election.