LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – In a crowded field of Republican presidential candidates, Michigan businessman and presidential long shot Perry Johnson has not been able to meet the threshold to appear in the debates and hasn’t gained much traction among the voters, even those in Michigan, often polling at zero.

Because of that, 75-year-old Perry released a statement on the social media platform X on Friday saying that he’d be suspending his campaign effective immediately but plans to keep a small political team on staff in the event that the “dynamics” of the race change. Additionally, he will still be on the ballot in early contests including New Hampshire.

MORE NEWS: Detroit Schools Employee Health Insurance Costs: $79.1M in 2026

In his statement, Johnson said that without an appearance on the debate state, he wasn’t given an opportunity to share his vision and said that suspending his campaign was the right thing to do.

Johnson said about the debate process, ”I must admit, the corruption among leaders at the RNC (Republican National Committee) during this process was appalling. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, the people should decide the next President of the United States, not the head of the RNC and her cronies.”

Johnson launched his presidential campaign in March and said, “I ran for President with the single focus of ensuring that the country my children inherit is just as extraordinary as the America in which I grew up. I was worried that wouldn’t happen. The government’s out-of-control spending, which has caused rampant inflation and forced skyrocketing interest rates, is painful for middle America and hurting American families. This recklessness jeopardizes Social Security, Medicare, National Defense and our whole way of life. I knew I had a plan to fix it.”

However, those plans are on hold – at least for now. He also said in his statement, “The extraordinary people I’ve met and befriended across the country, especially in Iowa and New Hampshire, gives me a renewed sense of hope that America’s best days are ahead.”

Johnson added. “It was the honor of a lifetime to run for America’s highest office and having my family along for the ride was a blessing impossible to describe.”

It’s unknown at this time if Johnson is still considering a Senate bid in Michigan which also has a crowded field. Johnson had told Fox Digital, “Obviously, it’s no secret that I’ve had a lot of calls to run for this seat because they do want to win this seat. But at this point in time, my focus is right on the presidential (race), and, believe me, that’s taking all my time and energy at this point.”

MORE NEWS: Whitmer Exits National Governors Association

Johnson had also ran for governor of Michigan in 2022 but failed to make the ballot after signatures on his nominating petitions were deemed to be invalid after election officials found out that they were forged by a group of paid petition circulators who were collecting signatures for him and several other gubernatorial candidates.