Because he had to do it at some point, Buddy Roemer ended his ill-fated presidential campaign today. The former Louisiana governor leaves behind a year of getting shut out of debates, getting called grandpa and winning but not winning a third party ticket. But, on the bright side, he doesn't have any debt.

From Roemer's statement:

We assumed no debt and we end this campaign with money in the bank. Once again, we ran like we intended to serve. We received contributions averaging less than $50 each from thousands and thousands of Democrats, Republicans and Independents in all 50 states. 

 

The long statement focused mostly on Roemer's centerpiece issue of getting money out of politics, Roemer said he would refocus his attention toward campaign finance reform, that seminal struggle that the Supreme Court attempted to completely eviscerate last year with its landmark Citizens United decision. Here's Roemer:

As I am no longer a candidate for president, I am free to pledge a good portion of the rest of my life to enacting campaign reform in the halls of Congress and the corridors of the White House. Instead of using my right to the floor of Congress to lobby for corporate clients, I will lobby for the American people who want reform.

No word if he's moving back to Louisiana, but somehow we think those New Hampshire winters will start to get old.<