KEY POINTS:
WASHINGTON - Republican candidate Mitt Romney dropped out of the US presidential race today, making Sen. John McCain the all-but-certain nominee of his party to face the Democrats' choice in November's election.
"I feel I have to now stand aside, for our party and for our country," the former Massachusetts governor said in a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference.
"No, no," shouted some of the participants at the conference, many of whom are disenchanted at the idea of having McCain as the party's choice.
The writing was on the wall for Romney after he lost 14 of 21 states on Tuesday, the biggest day of US presidential voting ahead of November's election, while Arizona Sen. McCain romped to coast-to-coast wins and cemented his position as front-runner.
Romney's withdrawal all but sealed the Republican nomination for McCain, the 71-year-old former Vietnam prisoner of war who has been lambasted by the right for moderate views on illegal immigration and votes against tax cuts.
McCain's named was booed by some members of the audience at the conference when Romney mentioned him.
Romney said he was pulling out of the race in order to let Republicans prepare for a general election battle against either of the two Democrats, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton or Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, both whom have campaigned to withdraw US troops from Iraq.
"In this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror," he said.
Romney said, "I disagree with Senator McCain on a number of issues, as you know."
But he said he agreed with him "on doing whatever it takes to be successful in Iraq, on finding and executing Osama bin Laden, and on eliminating al Qaeda and terror."
The McCain campaign declined immediate comment. McCain was to address the conference after Romney.
- REUTERS
