wpostServer: http://css.washingtonpost.com/wpost

Thad McCotter dropping out of presidential race

at 05:09 PM ET, 09/22/2011

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.) is dropping out of the presidential race and endorsing former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich., campaigns at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, Friday, Aug. 12, 2011. (Charles Dharapak - AP)

If you didn’t even know McCotter was running for president, you’re probably not alone. He was never in a debate and barely registered in polls. He placed tenth in Iowa’s Ames straw poll, with 35 votes.

McCotter, a five-term lawmaker known mostly for his quirky one-liners and sideline in rock music, says the press did him in.

“If they keep you out of the debates, you are out of the conversation and you can’t run,” McCotter told the Detroit News. “It was sort of death by media.”

The Romney endorsement is somewhat surprising. In his brief campaign, McCotter attacked Romney regularly, once suggesting that his rival could be President Obama's running mate. Now he calls Romney “the most electable.”

McCotter said in a statement that he would seek reelection to his 11th district seat.

Loading...

Comments

Add your comment
 
Read what others are saying About Badges

    Blog Contributors

    Chris Cillizza

    Chris Cillizza

    Chris Cillizza is founder and editor of The Fix, a leading blog on state and national politics. He is the author of The Gospel According to the Fix: An Insider’s Guide to a Less than Holy World of Politics and an MSNBC contributor and political analyst. He also regularly appears on NBC and NPR’s The Diane Rehm Show. He joined The Post in 2005 and was named one of the top 50 journalists by Washingtonian in 2009.

    Juliet Eilperin

    Juliet Eilperin

    Juliet Eilperin covers the White House for the Washington Post. She served as the Post's House of Representatives reporter from 1998-2004, covering the impeachment of Bill Clinton, lobbying, legislation, and five national congressional campaigns. Since 2004 she has been one of the country’s leading reporters covering the environment, reporting on science, policy and politics in areas including climate change, oceans, and air quality. She is the author of two books, "Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the House of Representatives," and "Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks." Follow her on Twitter.

    Ed O’Keefe

    Ed O’Keefe

    Ed O’Keefe covers Congress and politics for the Washington Post. He previously covered the 2008 and 2012 campaigns and reported on federal agencies and federal employees as author of The Federal Eye blog. Follow Ed on Twitter.

    Aaron Blake

    Aaron Blake

    Aaron Blake covers national politics at the Washington Post, where he writes regularly for “The Fix,” the Post’s top political blog. A Minnesota native and summa cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota, Aaron has also written about politics for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and The Hill newspaper. Aaron and his wife, Danielle, live in Annandale, Va. Follow him on Twitter.

    Sean Sullivan

    Sean Sullivan

    Sean Sullivan covers national politics for “The Fix.” Prior to joining the Washington Post in the summer of 2012, Sean was the editor of Hotline On Call, National Journal Hotline’s politics blog. He has also worked for NHK Japan Public Broadcasting and ABC News. Sean is a graduate of Hamilton College, where he received a degree in Philosophy. He lives in Washington, D.C. Follow Sean on Twitter.

    Scott Clement

    Scott Clement

    Scott Clement is a survey research analyst for Capital Insight, the independent polling group of Washington Post Media. Scott specializes in public opinion about politics, election campaigns and public policy. He helps design and analyze all Washington Post polls, including the Washington Post-ABC News poll. Follow Scott on Twitter.

    Rachel Weiner

    Rachel Weiner

    Rachel Weiner covers national politics for Post Politics and The Fix. She came to the Washington Post in 2010 as a political web editor and anchored the Post's 2012 election blog. She was previously a web editor at The Huffington Post. Follow her on Twitter.

    Section:/blogs/the-fix