HANOVER — Former U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh, a Tea Party Republican from Illinois who sought to unseat Donald Trump, dropped out of the GOP presidential race on Friday, saying the president is unbeatable in the Republican primary.
Walsh, a talk-show host, urged voters to back a Democrat in November.
“The Republican Party is a cult. No one, no matter his or her profile, can defeat Donald Trump in a Republican primary,” Walsh said in a statement on his website, echoing comments he made earlier in the week during an appearance at Dartmouth College.
“This was confirmed for me firsthand last week in Iowa when I was booed off the stage by primary voters when I said we should expect decency and honesty from our President,” Walsh wrote.
“This is not my party,” he added. “It’s incumbent on us as a country — and as citizens — to reject the current direction of the Republican Party and work to elect Democrats who are closest to our values. This may not be comfortable. It may not be our most natural environment. But it is our only chance at taking our party back. It is our only chance at taking our country back.”
Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, who remains in the Republican primary, spoke about health care and other matters Friday morning to residents at the Kendal at Hanover retirement community.
Weld, who had another stop scheduled later in the day in New London, tweeted out in solidarity with Walsh, saying, “Joe Walsh is a passionate voice in the fight to wrest the Republican Party from the toxic grasp of @realDonaldTrump. I wish him the best and look forward to what the future holds.”
Both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are slated to hold a rally in Manchester on Monday, with Pence also in the Seacoast city of Portsmouth, a day ahead of the New Hampshire primary.
On the Democratic front, some candidates on Friday added campaign stops in the Upper Valley to their weekend schedules.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., will hold a “get out the vote” rally at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday at Alumni Hall on the Dartmouth College campus in Hanover.
And Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., added a Hanover stop on Sunday — at 1:30 p.m. at the Grand Ballroom in the Hanover Inn. Space is limited, and seating is first come, first served.
Sanders had previously announced a Claremont stop on Sunday.
Lebanon will see former Mayor Pete Buttigieg on Saturday and Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Sunday.
Andrew Yang and Sen. Michael Bennet have also announced Valley stops on Sunday and Monday, respectively.
John P. Gregg can be reached at jgregg@vnews.com.