Jeb Bush drops out of Republican race for President

Jeb Bush drops out of Republican race for President. Credit: Ron Sachs / DPA/PA Images

Jeb Bush has dropped out of the Republican race for president after billionaire Donald Trump won the South Carolina Republican primary.

Bush, who also fared poorly in earlier contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, said the race had been "hard fought" but that voters of those three states had spoken.

An emotional Mr Bush added that he was proud of the campaign he ran to unify the country and advocate conservative solutions.

In what appeared to be a jab at Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, whom Bush has accused of lacking ideas, the former Florida Governor said,"ideas matter, policy matters."

Bush, the son of former President George H.W. Bush and brother to former President George W. Bush, entered the 2016 campaign as the favourite, but was unable to convert a sizable fundraising advantage into success at the polls.