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Posted: July 16, 2007 12:58 PM
Gilmore Out; And Then There Were 18
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Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore withdrew his bid for president Saturday after acknowledging he could not raise enough money to compete, bringing the Republican field to nine.

In a statement, Gilmore said he was proud of his campaign, but that, “It has become apparent to me that the combination of my late start, and the front loaded nature of the primary schedule, have made it impractical to continue to pursue this path towards further public service.”

Gilmore struggled to raise money — with only $90,000 cash on hand compared to the $18.3 million held by front-runner former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani — and failed to make a dent in the polls.

He also had to cancel campaign events in early July after emergency eye surgery.
On the trail, he billed himself as a conservative candidate and focused his speeches on a new strategy for Iraq and reducing illegal immigration.

Gilmore, a former Republican National Committee chairman, said he plans to remain in politics and will be forming a state political action committee to help elect Republicans to Virginia’s General Assembly.