Pataki to drop out: report

by Jonathan Swan - 12/29/15 5:24 PM ET

Former New York Gov. George Pataki (R) is reportedly dropping out of the presidential race after months of lagging near zero percent in polls.

“Scoop: @GovernorPataki is calling his NH supporters this afternoon telling him he will drop his bid for president #fitn,” Boston Globe political reporter James Pindell tweeted on Tuesday afternoon.

{mosads}Pataki made little impression in the undercard debates and failed to build an infrastructure of any meaningful size. He was struggling to raise money but insisted to The Hill at the recent Las Vegas debate that he was still holding fundraisers and could still marshal support from donors.

The Hill has contacted Pataki’s campaign for comment.

Pataki’s absence of organization was laid bare earlier this month when he was the only presidential candidate on the debate stage who failed to submit signatures for the Virginia primary.

To get on the Virginia ballot, candidates need to present 5,000 signatures, with 200 coming from each congressional district. Pataki’s campaign did not explain at the time why it failed to meet these requirements.

Jonathan Easley contributed to this report.

Tags George Pataki