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U.S. NEWSThursday 4 February 2016
‘Suspending’ a campaign in U.S. means game over
CALVIN WOODWARD Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks to WBKO in his hometown, Bowl- In this Jan. 31, 2016, photo, Republican presidential candidate,
Associated Press ing Green, Ky., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee speaks at Inspired
WASHINGTON (AP) — To 3, 2016, after announcing he is dropping his 2016 campaign for Grounds Cafe in West Des Moines, Iowa.
hear U.S. exiting presiden- president.
tial primary candidates tell Associated Press
it, their campaigns never Associated Press
die. They are just suspend- Rick Santorum appealed hadn’t caught up with
ed. In this Jan. 22, 2016, file photo, Democratic presidential can- for money to help pay the the Republican senator’s
Make no mistake. When didate former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley speaks during a bills after suspending his video announcement: “To-
they suspend a campaign, campaign stop at the Tilton Diner in Tilton, N.H. O’Malley is end- 2012 Republican primary day I will suspend my cam-
as Rand Paul did Wednes- ing his bid for the Democratic nomination for president on Feb. campaign. paign for the presidency.”
day and Mike Huckabee 1, 2016. Huckabee, a Republican, A suspension may imply
and Martin O’Malley did now says on his site “I have that if rival campaigns im-
right after the first vot- Associated Press suspended my campaign” plode, the candidate can
ing sessions in the state and he’ll finally be “spend- always jump back, a road
of Iowa, it’s not to take a ing some time with my rarely taken. One of the
break for household chores dogs.” O’Malley, a Demo- few exceptions: Ross Perot
or a reflective week at the crat, says “I am suspend- suspended his third-party
beach. It’s game over. ing my campaign for the presidential campaign in
Suspending a campaign is presidency.” Paul’s still has July 1992 only to renew it
a term of art in politics that him wanting to “unleash that October, a month be-
has little if any legal signifi- the American Dream” and fore the election.
cance but may give the an outdated schedule of Candidates who power
hopeful-no-more some campaign events. The site through much of the race
wiggle room for continuing before quitting have some
to raise money, if anyone is standing afterward: a cov-
still inclined to give it, and eted endorsement to give,
for winding down opera- a prominent convention
tions. speaking slot to negotiate,
Also, it sounds better than perhaps substantial dele-
quitting. gates to steer to a favored
The ex-candidates’ cam- contender. But those who
paign websites live on — make little impact in the
mostly phantoms now, but primary campaign have
with the “donate” link still little impact outside of it.
active. The frantic appeals For these departed, the
for cash subside, although bottom line of a suspen-
sion is that employees are
let go, advisers disperse,
donors place their bets on
those still politically alive,
and the campaign world
moves inexorably on with-
out them.q
Publishable Editors Notes:
EDITOR’S NOTE _ An oc-
casional look at words we
hear in the 2016 campaign
and what’s behind themq
