Carly Fiorina is pulling the plug on her presidential campaign

REUTERS/Mary Schwalm

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO and Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina is suspending her campaign for her party's nomination, she said in a statement on Wednesday.

The announcement came after a disappointing showing in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday night. She took just 4.1% of the vote, finishing in seventh place.

"I've said throughout this campaign that I will not sit down and be quiet," Fiorina said in the statement.

"I'm not going to start now," she continued. "While I suspend my candidacy today, I will continue to travel this country and fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them."

Fiorina surged briefly in September when she delivered an answer to a debate question about Planned Parenthood that earned her accolades from conservatives. But she eventually stumbled, facing scrutiny over her record at HP.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is also expected to drop out of the race soon. He returned to his home state after the New Hampshire primary to evaluate his campaign. He placed sixth with 7.4% of the vote.

View her full statement below:

This campaign was always about citizenship—taking back our country from a political class that only serves the big, the powerful, the wealthy, and the well connected. Election after election, the same empty promises are made and the same poll-tested stump speeches are given, but nothing changes. I've said throughout this campaign that I will not sit down and be quiet. I'm not going to start now. While I suspend my candidacy today, I will continue to travel this country and fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them.

Our Republican Party must fight alongside these Americans as well. We must end crony capitalism by fighting the policies that allow it to flourish. We must fix our festering problems by holding our bloated, inept government bureaucracy accountable. Republicans must stand for conservative principles that lift people up and recognize all Americans have the right to fulfill their God-given potential.

To young girls and women across the country, I say: do not let others define you. Do not listen to anyone who says you have to vote a certain way or for a certain candidate because you're a woman. That is not feminism. Feminism doesn't shut down conversations or threaten women. It is not about ideology. It is not a weapon to wield against your political opponent. A feminist is a woman who lives the life she chooses and uses all her God-given gifts. And always remember that a leader is not born, but made. Choose leadership.

As I have said to the many wonderful Americans I have met throughout this campaign, a leader is a servant whose highest calling is to unlock potential in others. I will continue to serve in order to restore citizen government to this great nation so that together we may fulfill our potential.

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