WATCH: GOP Presidential Candidate Drops Out Of The Race As Trump Dominates - 'I Am Going To Respect The Voters'

On Sunday evening, 2024 presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) officially dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination while on Fox News with host Trey Gowdy. Scott's announcement comes after a lackluster performance at the third Republican debate and worsening polls that have seen him not escape the double digits nationally and only reach 6.5 percent in his home state of South Carolina.

"Tonight, I suspended my campaign for president. Traveling this country and meeting all of you has been one of the most fantastic experiences of my entire life," Scott wrote on X/Twitter. "From the bottom of my heart, thank you. God Bless the United States of America."

"If you ever want to love your country more, run for president. Traveling this country, meeting people, it has been one of the most fantastic experiences of my entire life," Scott told the Fox audience. "I love America more today than I did on May 22nd. But when I go back to Iowa, it will not be as a presidential candidate. I am suspending my campaign. I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been really clear that they are telling me, 'Not now, Tim.' I don't think they are saying Trey, 'no,' but I do think they are saying, 'Not now.' So I am going to respect the voters, and I'm going to hold on and keep working really hard and look forward to another opportunity."

Scott's decision to end his campaign, which only began a few months ago in May, came as a surprise to many of his staffers, with some only hearing about the suspension after he appeared on Fox. While it was a surprising end to his campaign, particularly with the Iowa caucuses less than three months away, it does open the door for Scott to throw his support behind one of the other candidates. It is currently unknown who he would end up supporting for the nomination, but most of the contenders released statements attempting to court his endorsement.

"Tim Scott is a strong conservative with bold ideas about how to get our country back on track. I respect his courage to run this campaign and thank him for his service to America and the U.S. Senate," Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) wrote. "I look forward to Tim continuing to be a leader in our party for years to come."

"Tim Scott strikes me as a good dude. I gave [Tim Scott] a congratulatory 👊 on stage when the other South Carolinian shamelessly copied *exactly* what he said," businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (R-OH) wrote. "Wishing Tim all the best back in the U.S. Senate. I'm hopeful we can convince him that more Ukraine aid is an awful idea for America…looked like he was slowly coming around last week, I was glad to see it."

"Tim Scott is a good man of faith and an inspiration to so many," former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said about her fellow South Carolina resident. "The Republican primary was made better by his participation in it. South Carolina is blessed to continue to have him as our senator."

Watch Scott's announcement below: