Washington, Sep 22 (IANS): US' Wisconsin state Governor Scott Walker has announced that he was dropping out of the 2016 presidential race and urged the remaining candidates to offer a positive conservative alternative to real estate magnate Donald Trump, the media reported.
The Wisconsin governor entered the race in July as a front-runner in Iowa after winning battles against public unions in his left-leaning home state. But the promising start was quickly dashed after poor debate performances dried up support from donors, CNN reported.
"Today, I believe that I am being called to lead by helping to clear the field in this race so that a positive, conservative message can rise to the top of the field. With this in mind, I will suspend my campaign immediately," Walker said on Monday at a news conference in Madison, Wisconsin.
He encouraged other trailing Republican candidates to follow his path.
"I encourage other Republican presidential candidates to consider doing the same so that the voters can focus on a limited number of candidates who can offer a positive, conservative alternative to the current front-runner," said Walker, referring to Trump.
"This is fundamentally important to the future of our party, and, more important, the future of the country."
Walker's exit comes 10 days after former Texas Governor Rick Perry became the first Republican to drop out of the 2016 race.
After Walker's departure, the field stands at 15 candidates.