Tommy Thompson Officially Ends Presidential Bid

MILWAUKEE (AP) _ Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson is dropping out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination, a campaign official said Sunday. <br/><br/>His campaign has released a statement

Sunday, August 12th 2007, 9:05 pm

By: News On 6

MILWAUKEE (AP) _ Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson is dropping out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination, a campaign official said Sunday.

His campaign has released a statement saying the Republican is leaving the campaign trail several hours after WITI-TV in Milwaukee reported that Thompson told one of its reporters he was withdrawing from the field.

The campaign statement said Thompson intends to take sometime off before returning to the private sector and his nonprofit work.

The 65-year-old says he's comforted by the fact that he thinks he made a difference for people during his campaign.

He finished sixth among eleven candidates in this weekend's GOP straw poll in Iowa. He had said before the Iowa event that he would drop out of the race unless he finished first or second.

The statement didn't say whether he would endorse another candidate.