WASHINGTON (MEDIA GENERAL/AP) – It’s been a whirlwind of a week on the road to the White House after two Democratic hopefuls decided to quit the race and the decision of Vice President Joe Biden to sit out the contest altogether.
On Friday, former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee decided to withdraw his bid for the 2016 Democratic nomination. The latest polls showed Chafee barely registered above 1% and constantly trailing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley.
“I’m going to take a break, I think I’ve run for just about everything now,” said Lincoln Chafee outside the Democratic Women’s Leadership Forum in Washington.
Clinton greeted supporters on Friday less than 12 hours after a grueling all day hearing before a committee investigating the 2012 Benghazi attack. Clinton’s testimony came just a day after Vice President Biden officially declared he wouldn’t be entering the race fearful he had run out of time to launch a formal campaign.
A new poll out from Quinnipiac University indicates Republicans in Iowa are still trying to decide who they’ll vote for come February 1st. The poll, released on Thursday, showed neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson ahead of billionaire businessman Donald Trump. Carson leads Trump by 8%, followed by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida), and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
On Friday, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush confirmed his campaign will be trimming salaries in an attempt to control spending while his poll numbers have remained relatively low in key states like Iowa and New Hampshire.
“We are moving our resources into the states to ensure that voters in primary and caucus states are introduced to his record and vision for the future,” Bush spokeswoman Kristy Campbell said. The campaign has not publically said how many staffers will accept positions elsewhere in the organization.
