What “Suspending” a Campaign Really Means. It’s important to note that when Rick Santorum said on Tuesday that “we will suspend our campaign effective today,” it did not mean he was quitting the race for good. It does mean that the race for the Republican nomination is effectively over, however. From MSNBC’s First Read:

It’s a euphemism often employed by modern political candidates. They rarely explicitly say what they are actually doing — “dropping out,” “getting out,” “quitting,” saying, “Adios, amigo.”

Wait, so he’s not really out of it? No, not quite.

“It gives you more flexibility politically” and “political cover to get back in the race,” if a candidate chooses to do so, said Michael Toner, a prominent Republican election lawyer and former Federal Election Commission chairman.

By not officially terminating a campaign, a candidate can continue to raise money to retire debt. A candidate would not be allowed to “terminate” their campaign — in the technical sense with the FEC — unless they paid off their obligations and debts.

One interesting aside: Santorum remains on the ballot in Pennsylvania and Delaware on April 24, so he’ll still get votes. But how many?

-LD

MSNBC First Read

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