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Wolf Blitzer asks Chafee when he will end ‘futile’ bid

by Jesse Byrnes - 10/14/15 3:32 PM ET

Lincoln Chafee, Democratic Debate, CNN, Wolf Blitzer — CNN

CNN host Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday bluntly asked Lincoln Chafee when the former Rhode Island governor would end his Democratic presidential campaign.

During an interview on CNN, Blitzer brought up a pair of blistering headlines following Chafee’s performance in the first Democratic debate Tuesday night.

{mosads}”Here’s what worries me, governor. Because of your distinguished career, you’re going to wind up looking silly if you keep going on like this,” Blitzer said.

“At what point will you decide, you know what, there are other things for me to do instead of a futile effort to try to get the Democratic presidential nomination?” Blitzer asked.

After allowing Chafee to speak for a few seconds about his role as an anti-war candidate in the race, Blitzer pressed, “So at what point will you drop out?”

“I’m in it as long as I can continue to raise these issues. They’re important,” Chafee insisted.

Chafee currently takes 0.3 percent nationally in the RealClearPolitics average, well behind Hillary Clinton, Vice President Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Clinton and Sanders were joined at the debate by Chafee, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and former Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), who poll at 0.4 and 0.9 percent, respectively.

Chafee kicked off his long-shot White House bid in June. Two months later, late-night host Conan O’Brien launched a campaign to get him to 1 percent in the polls.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who is also pulling less than 1 percent in polls but on the Republican side of the presidential race, has also been asked about dropping out.

Chafee displayed some excitement heading into the CNN interview: