Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will suspend his bid, CNN just reported.
Romney is expected to announce his decision Thursday afternoon at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, three Republican sources told CNN.
The news comes just after the former Massachusetts governor vowed to stay in the race.
Romney, who drew much attention for his Mormon beliefs, split evangelicals votes at 31 percent with Mike Huckabee (34 percent) and John McCain (29 percent). See CT’s illustration of how the states broke down.
Previously, pundits were wondering where Huckabee’s votes would go if he were to drop out. Now the question flips. Where will Romney’s votes go?
Romney’s decision comes after Focus on the Family’s James Dobson said that while he would not vote for McCain, he would vote for Romney or Huckabee.
“My theology is very, very different, obviously, and I would not find myself in agreement with the ways he sees Scripture, and, of course, their own interpretation and extension of Scripture. I’m not in any way minimizing that; it’s a very important issue.
“I think we’re facing such a point of crisis in our country, that we’re going to have to have the strongest leadership we can. And I think I could deal with that in the polling booth.”
Previous CT coverage on Romney includes an interview with the candidate:
Latter-Day Politics | Mitt Romney believes American values, not Mormon doctrine, should rule a President.
Mitt’s Mormonism and the ‘Evangelical Vote’ | Can conservative Protestants vote for a member of what they consider a cult?
Romney Dodges Doctrine | But questions about candidate’s Mormon beliefs may continue.
What Evangelicals Heard in Romney’s ‘Faith in America’ Speech | What the candidate said will largely be welcomed. But questions remain about what wasn’t.
