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Hudson Valley native son George Pataki announced he is dropping out of the Republican presidential race Tuesday evening.
Pataki, a Garrison resident and former Peekskill mayor, had told some of his key New Hampshire supporters Tuesday afternoon that he planned on dropping out of the race, the Boston Globe reported.
Pataki then released a video Tuesday evening announcing his decision.
Pataki, a three-term governor of New York, entered the race in May with an announcement in Exeter, N.H.
During the campaign, he earned attention by being the first -- and so far, only -- Republican contender to publicly state he would not endorse GOP frontrunner Donald Trump if Trump wins the nomination.
Westchester County still has two of its own in the race, and both are leading their respective party's polls, with Bedford estate owner Trump on top of the Republican polls, and Chappaqua's Hillary Clinton the Democratic frontrunner.
"Thank you @GovernorPataki for adding your voice to the race for the highest office in the world," Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino tweeted after Pataki's announcement. "You did so with dignity and class."
Clinton, a former First Lady, Secretary of State and U.S. senator from New York, announced her second candidacy for president on April 12.
Prior to this year, the last candidate, other than Nelson Rockefeller in 1964 and Clinton in 2008, to run for president and reside in Westchester was Samuel Tilden of Yonkers, who won the popular vote but lost in the Electoral College to Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876.
In 1968, Rockefeller was considered a frontrunner as a Republican presidential candidate. But indecision caused him to lose an early foothold, and Richard Nixon won the nomination. Nixon and his wife made a campaign visit to the Rockefeller's Pocantico Hills estate that year. Rockefeller later served as 41st vice president of the United States under President Gerald Ford.
Pataki graduated from Peekskill High School. He served as Peekskill mayor from 1981 to 1984 and in both chambers of the New York State Legislature before his election as governor.
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