Roemer taking a ‘few days’ to decide future of his presidential campaign

Former Gov. Buddy Roemer’s bid to run for president as an independent candidate has taken another significant hit. Roemer had hoped to get the nomination of Americans Elect, a nonpartisan group pushing for a third-party candidate. But Americans Elect shut down its efforts Thursday, saying no candidate met the benchmarks for its nomination process. The former governor and former congressman previously had sought to become a GOP nominee, but never polled above single digits and wasn’t allowed to participate in debates. This afternoon, Roemer issued a statement saying he is disappointed by American Elect’s decision to end its nomination process, adding it was “rife with difficulty related to access, validation and security issues.” Roemer goes on to say, “I am taking the next few days to review with supporters how best to proceed from here. A political system corrupted by special interest money and a Party duopoly addicted to that same money demands reform. We aim to figure out the best way to deliver the message and highlight examples which best prove this point. … I am not willing to let the issue of reform die with Americans Elect. Our Republic needs it now more than ever.”