Gilmore quits presidential race

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Republican Jim Gilmore has said he is abandoning his attempt to win his party's nomination for the 2008 US presidential election.

One of the less prominent Republican hopefuls, Mr Gilmore has struggled since entering the race in April.

A former governor of Virginia, he described himself as a "mainstream Reagan conservative".

There are now nine Republicans in contention, with Rudolph Giuliani and Mitt Romney the frontrunners.

"I have come to believe that it takes more than a positive vision for our nation's future to successfully compete for the presidency," said Mr Gilmore, 57, in a written statement.

He has made little impact in the opinion polls, and latest figures show his campaign funds standing at a mere $90,000.

Mr Gilmore blamed his late start and the early schedule of primary elections, which will begin in the New Year.

Emergency surgery for a detached retina delayed his campaigning last month.