"I want to thank the people of Iowa who were welcoming and supportive as well as my volunteers and contributors from around the country," said Thompson. "I have no regrets about running. I felt my record as Governor of Wisconsin and Secretary of Health and Human Services gave me the experience I needed to serve as President, but I respect the decision of the voters. I am leaving the campaign trail today, but I will not leave the challenges of improving health care and welfare in America."
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"No candidate is more experienced than Governor Thompson and no candidate worked harder; but sometimes the dynamics just aren't there to bring about a victory," said Steve Grubbs, Senior Advisor to Thompson's campaign. "The Governor's staff was deeply committed to him and to his candidacy. If we could have willed a victory, we would have."
Clearly, this won't have much of an impact on the Presidential race, or Thompson would still be in it. Personally, the biggest impact I see is that it tips Wisconsin from a Republican leaning swing state in terms of fundraising to a Democratic state. Obama nearly tripled the money raised by Mitt Romney (his nearest competitor after Thompson), and outraised Clinton by factor of four. This is in keeping with Obama's strong fundraising performance in the Mid-West, but I don't see Thompson's departure having a major impact on the race.
STATE BLOGS
