Rick Santorum Drops Out

Rick Santorum is out. He officially left the GOP race today in Pennsylvania, saying his daughter Bella's most recent scare in the hospital caused him to re-evaluate things. "This race is over for me," he said, adding that he'll continue to fight to help defeat President Obama. He did not, however, mention Mitt Romney in his speech, reports AP. The move helps Santorum avoid a potentially embarrassing home-state loss to Romney on April 24, notes Politico, and allows him to leave the race with an impressive underdog showing. "Against all odds, we won 11 states," he said.

"This was a time for prayer and thought, this past weekend, just like it was, frankly, when we decided to get into this race. Karen and I and the kids sat at the kitchen table and talked about our hopes and fears and concerns,” said Santorum. He added later: “Miracle after miracle, this race was as improbable as any you will ever see for president." (More Rick Santorum 2012 stories.)