And then there were … still a whole lot.
Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore ended his long-shot campaign for the presidency today, saying he has been unable to raise enough money to compete for the Republican nomination.
Gilmore blamed his fundraising problems on his late entry into the race. He said he did not begin organizing his campaign until January, while most of the GOP frontrunners had been preparing to run for years.
The announcement doesn’t come as too big a surprise. Gilmore only raised about $380,000 during the first half of 2007, and of late, hasn’t even been hitting the campaign trail with any enthusiasm. He’d show up for the debates, but delivered lackluster performances. (Michael Crowley once labeled him the “Memento candidate” because, “As soon as he stops talking I forget everything he said.”)
I’m reluctant to kick a guy when he’s down, but the truth is, Gilmore’s presidential ambitions were always difficult to understand. He was a wildly unsuccessful governor, which preceded an equally unsuccessful tenure running the Republican National Committee (Karl Rove reportedly fired him).
Nevertheless, with Gilmore’s departure, the Republican field winnows to nine declared candidates, 10 if you include Fred Thompson. With Gingrich and Hagel still mulling bids, the already-enormous field could still get bigger.
As for today, so long, Jim; we hardly knew you. And in this case, we mean that literally.
