Jeb Bush concedes to Donald Trump: "It's time to take a step back and look at what they want"

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush suspended his presidential campaign Saturday after a disappointing finish in South Carolina, where he once expected a strong showing.<br><br>"I'm proud of the campaign we've run to unify the country," Bush told supporters in Columbia, South Carolina. "I'm proud of the tens of thousands of South Carolinians who stood up and said, 'We want to be for something rather than against everything.'"<br><br>Bush acknowledged that he had not won the hearts of the voters. "I truly hoped that my campaign would be about competing ideals in a contest of ideas, engaging positive, respectful, policy-driven discussion," he said. "But it has become abundantly clear that a competitive, policy-driven election isn't what the people want."<br><br>"It's time to take a step back and look at what they want," he said.<br><br>Bush posted a letter to supporters on his website. "In this campaign, I have stood against the pessimism and cynicism that I have seen in the national debate. I have fought for a conservatism of courage, compassion, and consequences," he wrote. "I have fought for a conservatism that has meaning and depth."<br><br>Bush struggled in every contest so far and placed fourth in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. Going into Saturday's primary, Bush had spent more than $70 million in South Carolina and had the help of his brother, George W. Bush, and his mother, Barbara Bush, to try and boost his prospects.<br><br>But Bush seemed to concede that it was over even before polls closed in South Carolina. "I've got to get some rest. I've got to go to church. I've got to go to Houston to do a speech, and then I'm going to go to DC and say, 'What in the world happens next?'" he joked at a rally in Columbia.<br><br>Bush thanked donors, supporters, and staff. "Thank you for the opportunity to run for the most consequential political office on earth. I've run with honor. I've run with heart. I've run to make a difference," he said.<br><br>Bush had planned to go to Nevada and then on to Super Tuesday states to continue his campaign before reassessing after South Carolina results came in.<br><br>Bush's decision to end his campaign comes after the ninth Republican debate. He said he had not wanted to run a negative campaign, but he had criticized front-runner Donald Trump in the debate.<br><br>Bush's decision marks the end of the third generation of the Bush family to seek the White House. His father and older brother both served as president.