Jeb Bush
Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush announced that he was suspending his presidential campaign, at his South Carolina primary night party in Columbia REUTERS/Randall Hill

With major candidates like Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio leading the Republican presidential race, Jeb Bush has announced his decision to bow out of the contest. His comparatively docile campaign seemed a poor match for Trump and Cruz, and following his loss in the South Carolina elections, the Republican candidate addressed supporters and informed them about his decision.

"I'm proud of the campaign that we've run to unify our country," Bush said during his race resignation speech on 20 February. "The people of Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken and so tonight I am suspending my campaign," he said.

Bush's campaign suffered problems after a positive start, which was fuelled by strong political family backing and high financing, as more voters were keen to veer away from traditional Republican politics. Fellow Republican Donald Trump had by then, made himself the more preferred GOP candidate and his win in South Carolina has helped cement his position better.

Labelled a "low-energy candidate" by Trump, the son and brother to two previous US presidents suffered a barrage of setbacks, with the super PAC's fundraising withering down considerably last week. Bush's campaign spent a total of $116m (£80.5m) much of which was spent on trashing his former political protégé – Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Governor John Kasich – while very little was targeted at the Trump campaign.

On Saturday, the super PAC (political action committee) issued a statement in which it stated, "We could not be more proud of Jeb Bush, the campaign he ran, and the hopeful and optimistic message of conservative reform that he communicated throughout this primary. Our team is grateful to the more than 11,000 Jeb Bush supporters who helped us in our efforts." No information has been given as to what the PAC's plans for the remainder of the Bush campaign money are.

Prior to her son Jeb announcing his candidacy, Barabara Bush stated, "We've had enough Bushes." A forewarning perhaps?

More about Jeb Bush's campaign