Republican candidate and Michigan businessman Perry Johnson announced Friday he is suspending his presidential campaign.
“With no opportunity to share my vision on the debate stage, I have decided at this time, suspending my campaign is the right thing to do,” he said in a statement.
Perry Johnson released a statement on Friday: pic.twitter.com/OU5PIzLLVu
— Perry Johnson (@PJQualityGuru) October 20, 2023
Throughout campaigning, Johnson has raised concerns about the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the debate process. He filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission for not being allowed to participate in the first Republican primary debate, according to Axios. He alleged the candidates for the debate were “cherry-picked” by the RNC and Fox News. (RELATED: RNC Reveals Which GOP Presidential Candidates Will Participate In Debate)
The RNC said candidates seeking to qualify for the debate in August needed 40,000 unique donors, with at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in at least 20 states, the outlet noted. Candidates also needed some support from national or independent polls.
He alleged “corruption” among leaders at the RNC, saying how they handled the debate process was “appalling.”
“Not only was the debate process set up to keep outsiders off the stage and without a voice, but when we did meet their arbitrary metrics, corrupt leaders used their authoritarian power to kick me off the stage at 11 p.m. the Monday before the debate, despite our team working with Fox News all weekend on logistics,” he said.
Johnson focused on his Two-Cents Plan in his campaign, which would “cut two cents off of every dollar in federal discretionary spending to end inflation and solve the debt crisis,” his website states.
He expressed the need for this plan in his statement regarding the suspension of the campaign, saying Washington, D.C., has to start taking inflation and government spending more seriously.
“The American people deserve so much better than what career politicians in D.C. are giving them,” he said.
“I ran for President with the single focus of ensuring that the country my children inherit is just as extraordinary as the America in which I grew up. I was worried that wouldn’t happen,” he said in the statement. “The government’s out-of-control spending, which has caused rampant inflation and forced skyrocketing interest rates, is painful for middle America and hurting American families.”
Johnson did not withdraw from running, and he plans to keep a small political team on staff in case “the dynamics of the race” change. His name will still be on early ballots.