Pataki quits – and then there were 12

With just a month remaining before the Iowa caucuses, reports have surfaced that Governor George Pataki will cease his campaign for president tonight.

It started with a tweet:

And then the news outlets hunted down willing informants to confirm:

George E. Pataki, the former three-term New York governor who launched a long-shot presidential bid that failed to catch fire, told his supporters Tuesday that he is suspending his campaign, two of Mr. Pataki’s key backers said.

Pataki enjoyed relatively little support from moderate-to-liberal republicans. The small base of support that the governor built will likely move to Jeb Bush, but not enough to affect the race in a meaningful way.

This reduces the Republican field to 12 candidates and many expect former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal to be the next to end his run for the GOP nomination.