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It's Official: Newt Gingrich Bows Out

Saying "I never could have predicted either the low points or the high points," former House Speaker Newt Gingrich just officially suspended his bid for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

He's been leading up to this for more than a week. Tuesday, he posted a video to say goodbye to his supporters.

Update at 4:30 p.m. ET. Romney On Gingrich:

"Newt Gingrich has brought creativity and intellectual vitality to American political life," presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney says in a statement his campaign has emailed to reporters. "During the course of this campaign, Newt demonstrated both eloquence and fearlessness in advancing conservative ideas. Although he long ago created an enduring place for himself in American history, I am confident that he will continue to make important contributions to our party and to the life of the nation. Ann and I are proud to call Newt and Callista friends and we look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead as we fight to restore America's promise."

Update at 3:40 p.m. ET. Gingrich On Romney:

As for presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney, who Gingrich has referred to as being a Massachusetts moderate, the former House speaker said he's often asked whether Romney is a true conservative.

"Compared to Barack Obama?" Gingrich said. "This is not a choice between Mitt Romney and Ronald Reagan." It's a choice, Gingrich said, between Romney and the "most radical" president in U.S. history.

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Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.