Romney abandons White House bid (2nd Lead)

Feb 7, 2008, 18:46 GMT

Washington - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney halted his White House bid Thursday, giving a decisive boost to US Senator John McCain's campaign for the party's nomination.

Romney said he wanted to avoid a lengthy nomination fight with McCain and boost his party's chances of winning the November 4 presidential election against either of the two Democratic hopefuls, whom he accused of being soft on terror.

'I entered this race because I love America and because I love America, in this time of war, I feel I now have to stand aside - for our party and for our country,' Romney, 60, told a conservative audience in Washington, drawing howls of disappointment.

On the Democratic side, former first lady Hillary Clinton and African-American candidate Barack Obama remain in a tight battle for their party's nomination.

'Frankly, I'd make it easier for Senator Clinton or Obama to win,' Romney said. 'In this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.'

A millionaire businessman who has hewed to the party's conservative side, Romney fell far behind front-runner McCain in Tuesday's nationwide primaries and caucuses for the Republican nomination.

In the series of state-by-state preference contests since January, McCain has won 689 delegates to the Republican nominating convention in September, compared to 133 for Romney, according to a New York Times count.

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, a Baptist pastor who appeals to social conservatives, is third in the Republican race. He swept five southern states Tuesday and has vowed to stay in the race.

Romney was the latest dropout in the Republican field. Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and former actor and US senator Fred Thompson previously abandoned their presidential bids.