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Former SC Gov. Mark Sanford ends 2020 presidential bid

FILE - In this Dec. 18, 2013, file photo, U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., discusses his first months back in Congress during an interview in Mount Pleasant, S.C. Sanford said Tuesday, July 16, 2019 he's pondering a 2020 primary challenge to President Donald Trump, but political observers - and those who know the former governor and congressman well - say it's nothing more than an attempt to keep himself relevant in the wake of his first-ever electoral loss last year. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith, File)

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – Republican Mark Sanford says he is ending his longshot 2020 presidential bid.

The former South Carolina governor and congressman centered his Republican primary challenge to President Donald Trump on warnings about the national debt. But he has struggled to gain traction since announcing his run in September.

The longshot effort become even harder as a handful of state parties canceled their primaries and other nominating contests, including in Sanford’s home state of South Carolina.

Sanford’s decision to end his run comes little more than a week after he moved his campaign’s “home base” to New Hampshire.

(Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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