After capturing no national support for his bid for the presidency under the Americans Elect party, former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer declared his campaign is over.
Roemer said in a statement that his campaign was suspended because of lack of ballot access for his party. Although he said that he would continue to fight for campaign reform and asks his supporters to do the same.
“As I am no longer a candidate for president, I am free to pledge a good portion of the rest of my life to enacting campaign reform in the halls of Congress and the corridors of the White House. Instead of using my right to the floor of Congress to lobby for corporate clients, I will lobby for the American people who want reform,” he said. “To be successful, this endeavor must cross party lines. In truth, the two major parties are addicted to special interests and corporate money. I have said it many times: they are joined at the billfold. The two parties have been graveyards of reform too often in the past. They don’t want reform. They only want victory and reelection.”
“We must dare to look at a total reform package including contribution reform, reapportionment reform, and term-limit reform,” Roemer said. “I cannot do this alone.”
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When Roemer began his campaign last July, he began as a GOP candidate, but after being shut out from the debate process and gaining no ground in the primaries. It was then that he began campaigning under the Americans Elect as well as the Reform Party banners. He was one of the first candidates to launch and exploratory committee in the race.
The Americans Elect party announced last week that it was ending its selection process without selecting a nominee. Because of low name recognition, and small fund-raising appeal, they chose to pass on Roemer, their leading contender.
This leaves only one third party candidate, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, in the race that is all but buttoned up by GOP candidate and likely nominee Mitt Romney.