Graham drops out of US race

Bob Graham has decided to wave goodbye to White House hopes

Democratic Senator Bob Graham says he is dropping out of the 2004 presidential race.

He was one of 10 candidates seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge for the White House.

"I have made a judgement: I cannot be elected president of the United States," he said on the CNN programme, Larry King Live.

He was a late entry to the race and had struggled to raise enough money to maintain his profile.

Mr Graham has served three terms as a senator for Florida, and is a former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

He said the open-heart surgery he underwent in January delayed his entry into the race, and his involvement in the congressional investigation into the 11 September 2001 attacks hindered his fundraising efforts.

"All of those things combined to make it difficult for us to have the time and to close the gap in organisation and fundraising, which have led to this difficult decision," he said.

Struggle

The latest opinion polls had shown him to be at the rear of the pack of candidates and his campaign had been hindered by mediocre reviews.

A New York Times/CBS News Survey gave him only 3% of support among US Democrats, while a Newsweek poll found his support dwindle from 7% in July to 2% at the end of September.

Political analysts say he had struggled to communicate a message that distinguished him from the other candidates.

Mr Graham said he had no plans to endorse any of the other Democrat candidates still running to replace President George W Bush.

But he said he would give his full support to whoever is selected as the nominee.