By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – Following a disappointing fourth-place finish in Monday's Iowa caucuses, Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt returned home to St. Louis to formally drop out of the presidential race.
At a sometimes-emotional news conference Tuesday, Gephardt thanked his family and supporters, but did not endorse any of the other candidates.
"The enormous voter turnout shows the great strength and determination of the Democratic Party to reclaim the White House," Gephardt said. "I accept the results with the knowledge that I gave this campaign everything that I had in me."
Gephardt was long considered a shoo-in for Missouri's February 3 Democratic primary.
His decision to discontinue his campaign makes the outcome less certain.
Steven Smith, a political science professor at Washington University, said the twilight years of Gephardt's career could still be bright.
"It's far too early to tell whether someone will pick him for the VP's position, but if that doesn't happen, I can imagine that there'll be Democratic leaders in Missouri who will think that Dick Gephardt will be a fine member of the United States Senate," Smith said.
Smith said Gephardt's experience in Congress and his fundraising ability will could propel him to other leadership positions.