Washington, January 23, SPA -- Republican presidential contender Fred Thompson quit the race on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported, after the former Tennessee senator performed poorly in a number of primary elections and caucuses. “Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort,” Thompson said in a statement. The withdrawal came after Thompson, a former actor, finished third in South Carolina’s Republican primary. Thompson had said he needed to win in the southern state. In the statement, Thompson did not say whether he would endorse any of his former rivals. --SPA www.spa.gov.sa/520265