Candidates React As Scott Walker Drops Out

Taking to Twitter, GOP candidates responded to Scott Walker's decision to drop out from the presidential election with what seemed like an unprecedented camaraderie — which included a magnanimous tweet from Donald Trump. Urging his fellow GOP contenders to follow suit so the party could unite against the front-runner, Walker said the Republican Party needs a nominee who can to instill a sense of optimism for the American people. And then with sadness in his voice, as The New York Times reports, he said he himself is not the right person to do so. "Today I believe that I am being called to lead by helping to clear the field in this race so that a positive, conservative message can rise to the top of the field," Walker said. "With this in mind, I will suspend my campaign immediately."

Beyond his righteous exit, the Wisconsin governor wasn't exactly in good shape. He had sunken in the polls, nearly exhausted his campaign cash, delivered one too many gaffes, and was losing potential donors. According to the Times, Walker was worried about mounting campaign debts that he would not be able to pay off without a drastic increase in donors or the means for self-financing like Trump and Carly Fiorina. Of course, Rick Perry had already bowed out, and as of a few minutes past midnight Tuesday, the other 15 Republican contenders are still in the race. However, some have expressed surprise and nearly all wished him well, including Trump. Below are some of their official responses (sans Fiorina), neatly proclaimed in 140 characters or so.

Donald Trump

Ted Cruz

Jeb Bush

Rand Paul

Mike Huckabee

Ben Carson

John Kasich

Marco Rubio

Bobby Jindal/h2>

Chris Christie

Lindsey Graham

George Pataki

Jim Gilmore

Rick Santorum

In a press release:

Scott Walker has been one of America's strongest governors over the past 6 years. From taking on public employee unions to fighting for the most vulnerable, the people of Wisconsin are blessed to have a strong leader in Scott Walker at the helm. I appreciated the opportunity to get to know Governor Walker over the past several months and I wish him and his family the best. I am sure this is not the last we will hear from Governor Walker.

So there you have it. A semblance of common thread among the tumultuous landscape of GOP presidential politics, and a staggeringly classy retort from Donald Trump. Who knows, maybe he didn't catch the entire exit speech.