Rick Santorum is suspending his presidential campaign effective immediately and endorsing his former rival, Marco Rubio.
“We are suspending our campaign as of this moment,” Santorum told Fox News‘ Greta Van Susteren on Wednesday. ”
Santorum said he decided to back the Florida senator, who finished third in Monday’s Iowa caucuses, because, “he is the new generation.”
“We wanted to find a candidate that really espoused the values we believed in, someone who has a real understanding of the threat of ISIS,” Santorum said. “He is a tremendously gifted young man and he is a leader.”
Santorum’s departure came just two days after Santorum’s poor showing during the Iowa caucuses, where he earned just 1 percent of the vote.