WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will suspend his campaign, a Republican Party source said on Thursday, a decision that would make Sen. John McCain the all-but-certain nominee of his party.
A Republican Party source said the former Massachusettsgovernor might make his suspension announcement in a speech atthe Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday.
"Romney's run a good campaign and he can live to fightanother day," said the source familiar with the situation,speaking on condition of anonymity. "He has a huge future inthe party nationally."
Romney lost 14 of 21 states on Super Tuesday, the biggestday of U.S. presidential voting ahead of November's election,as Arizona Sen. McCain savoured coast-to-coast wins andcemented his position as front-runner.
He had vowed to fight on after Super Tuesday, but he andhis campaign advisers discussed the situation on Wednesday.Romney has been helping to bankroll his campaign using his ownpersonal wealth.
The McCain campaign declined immediate comment.
(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visitReuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online athttp://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Andy Sullivan; Editing byDavid Alexander)
