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Lindsey Graham Drops Out Of Presidential Race

The senator from South Carolina had been a long shot.
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By 

Reporter, HuffPost

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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who was a long shot to win the Republican presidential nomination but didn't really seem to mind, announced Monday that he is suspending his campaign.

"I’ve hit a wall here,” Graham told CNN's Kate Bolduan.

Graham, who is known for his hawkish foreign policy views but is more moderate than other Republicans on some issues, entered the campaign on June 1 in his hometown of Central, South Carolina.

While he registered very little support in national polls, Graham did draw attention in the second undercard Republican primary debate, where he flashed his humor. 

Graham was elected to represent South Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994 and won one of the state's U.S. Senate seats in 2002. Graham also served for more than 30 years in the Air Force Reserve, but retired in May 2015, as he approached the mandatory retirement age of 60.

Despite his poor poll numbers, Graham seemed to genuinely enjoy running for president.

“Every candidate in this race would love to be where I’m standing right now -- in front of about 100 people in New Hampshire,” Graham said during a June campaign stop in the Granite State. “Just think about what that means. I don’t know what the president of France has to do, but I doubt if they have to do this. Please. Please. I’ll end on this thought: Don’t let the system change.”

Also on HuffPost:

Declared 2016 Presidential Candidates
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) -- Announced March 23, 2015(01 of22)
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Cruz dropped out of the race May 3, 2016. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) -- Announced April 7, 2015(02 of22)
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Paul announced he was suspending his campaign on Feb. 3, 2016. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Former Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton -- Announced April 12, 2015(03 of22)
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(credit:Andrew Burton via Getty Images)
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) -- Announced April 13, 2015(04 of22)
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Rubio suspended his campaign March 15, 2016. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) -- Announced April 30, 2015(05 of22)
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(credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Ben Carson -- Announced May 4, 2015(06 of22)
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Ben Carson officially suspended his campaign March 4, 2016. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Carly Fiorina -- Announced May 4, 2015(07 of22)
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Fiorina suspended her campaign Feb. 10, 2016. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) -- Announced May 5, 2015(08 of22)
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Huckabee announced he was suspending his campaign on Feb. 1, 2016. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) -- Announced May 27, 2015(09 of22)
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Santorum suspended his campaign on Feb. 3, 2016. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Former New York Gov. George Pataki (R) -- Announced May 28, 2015(10 of22)
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Pataki dropped out of the race on Dec. 29, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) -- Announced May 30, 2015(11 of22)
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O'Malley announced he was suspending his campaign on Feb. 1, 2015, the night of the 2016 Iowa caucuses. (credit:Alex Wong via Getty Images)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) -- Announced June 1, 2015(12 of22)
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Graham dropped out of the race on Dec. 21, 2015. (credit:Jessica McGowan via Getty Images)
Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee (D) -- Announced June 3, 2015(13 of22)
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Chafee ended his campaign on Oct. 23, 2015. (credit:Win McNamee via Getty Images)
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) -- Announced June 4, 2015(14 of22)
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Perry announced he was ending his campaign on Sept. 11, 2015. (credit:Joe Raedle via Getty Images)
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) -- Announced June 15, 2015(15 of22)
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Bush suspended his campaign Feb. 20, 2016. (credit:Darren McCollester via Getty Images)
Business Mogul Donald Trump (R) -- Announced June 16, 2015(16 of22)
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(credit:Christopher Gregory via Getty Images)
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) -- Announced June 24, 2015(17 of22)
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Jindal dropped out of the race on Nov. 17, 2015. (credit:Darren McCollester via Getty Images)
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) -- Announced June 30, 2015(18 of22)
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A spokesman said on Feb. 10, 2016, that Christie was suspending his campaign. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Former Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) -- Announced July 2, 2015(19 of22)
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Webb announced he was ending his campaign on Oct. 20, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) -- Announced July 13, 2015(20 of22)
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Walker announced he was dropping out of the race on Sept. 21, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore (R) -- Declared July 29, 2015(21 of22)
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Gilmore suspended his campaign on Feb. 12, 2016. (credit:Darren McCollester via Getty Images)
Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson (L) -- Announced Jan. 6, 2016(22 of22)
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Johnson will seek the Libertarian Party's nomination. (credit:Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

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