--- title: Lindsey Graham Drops Out of Presidential Race description: The South Carolina Republican is no longer running for the nomination canonical: https://time.com/4156847/lindsey-graham-drops-out-presidential-race/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-21T14:46:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T21:39:56.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Lindsey Graham Drops Out of Presidential Race og:description: The South Carolina Republican is no longer running for the nomination og:url: https://time.com/4156847/lindsey-graham-drops-out-presidential-race/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1369d365e0b5b819/698876473c16394aec45b489/lindsey-graham.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Growth and Opportunity Party og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Lindsey Graham Drops Out of Presidential Race twitter:description: The South Carolina Republican is no longer running for the nomination twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1369d365e0b5b819/698876473c16394aec45b489/lindsey-graham.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Lindsey Graham Drops Out of Presidential Race by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Updated: Dec 13, 2023 9:39 PM UTCPublished: Dec 21, 2015 2:46 PM UTC  Lindsey Graham speaks at the Growth and Opportunity Party, at the Iowa State Fair on Oct. 31, 2015 in Des Moines, IO. Lindsey Graham speaks at the Growth and Opportunity Party, at the Iowa State Fair on Oct. 31, 2015 in Des Moines, IO.Steve Pope—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Updated: Dec 13, 2023 9:39 PM UTCPublished: Dec 21, 2015 2:46 PM UTC Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham announced Monday that he is ending his campaign for president. In a [video posted on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k44NsbT-Zw), the South Carolina Senator said he was “honored” by the support he’s received so far and ran a “problem solver’s campaign” during his time in the race. “I got into this race to put forward a plan to win a war we cannot afford to lose and to turn back the tide of isolationism that was rising in our party,” he said. “I believe we made enormous progress in this effort.” Graham launched his campaign in June and has focused on national security. Although he is no longer running, Graham said he would continue his commitment to “achieving security through strength.” Shortly after Graham’s announcement, prominent Republicans began weighing in. Arizona Senator and 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain said with Graham out Republicans had “lost our most qualified, thoughtful, fearless, and honest presidential candidate.” McCain said the South Carolinian had the most “national security experience, and, in my opinion, the most practical and honorable views of American world leadership.” Fellow presidential candidate former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush also issued a statement via [Twitter](https://twitter.com/JebBush/status/678950474976989184). “Nobody is more clear-eyed about ISIS,” than Graham, Bush wrote. “As he leaves the race I hope our party & country listen to his counsel.” **Read Next**: [_The Third Amigo Runs for President_](http://time.com/3828291/lindsey-graham-john-mccain-joe-lieberman-president/) ### Meet the Three Best Friends Who All Ran for President  During their time in the Senate together, Arizona Sen. John McCain, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham became close friends. Paul J. Richards—AFP/Getty Images  The three Senators, shown here in 2009, often appeared at each other's press conferences. Chris Kleponis—Getty Images  Shown here on a trip to Baghdad in 2006, the Senators were known as "the three amigos," after a 1980s comedy starring Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short. Khalid Mohammed—Pool/Corbis  Though they have different temperaments, the three Senators have an easygoing rapport that's clear when they are together, as in this 2008 walk-through of the GOP national convention stage. Sacramento Bee/MCT/Getty Images  The three amigos, shown here at a White House summit in 2009, have something else in common: They've all run for president. Kevin Lamarque—Reuters  Lieberman ran for vice president in 2000 alongside Al Gore then mounted his own unsuccessful bid for the nomination in 2004. Jason Reed—Reuters/Corbis  McCain made an unsuccessful primary run in 2000 and then became the GOP nominee in 2008, where he was often accompanied by Lieberman and Graham on the campaign trail. Mauricio Duenas—AFP/Getty Images  The three Senators watched the Super Bowl in a hotel lobby bar during the 2008 campaign. Charles Dharapak—AP  Graham and Lieberman were with McCain as he barnstormed in the final 24 hours of his 2008 presidential campaign. Ethan Miller—Getty Images  They even accompanied him on a campaign trip to Amman, Jordan, in 2008. Nasser Nasser—AP  Graham is now readying his own bid for the Republican nomination in 2016. Alex Brandon—AP  Though Lieberman is a Democrat-turned-independent and Graham and McCain are Republicans, the three Senators, shown here on a 2010 trip to Afghanistan, share similar views on a muscular foreign policy. Ahmad Masood—Reuters/Corbis  The three Senators, shown here laying a wreath at the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem, also share strong support for Israel. Yehuda Raizner—AFP/Getty Images  After Lieberman left the Senate in 2013, McCain and Graham, shown here greeting former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, continued to work together. Tom Williams—CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images  But they'll always be remembered as the "three amigos." Scott J. 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