FILE – In this Sept. 24, 2019, file photo, Republican presidential candidate and former Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Ill., listens to a question during a debate in New York. (AP Photo/Julius Constantine Motal, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) – Former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh is ending his Republican primary challenge to President Donald Trump.

Walsh had cast his ballot for Trump in 2016 and declared he would be “grabbing his musket” if the Republican Trump were to lose to Democrat Hillary Clinton. But Walsh eventually soured on Trump, deriding the president as “nuts,” “cruel,” and unfit for office.

The tea party favorite turned radio talk show host became Trump’s second 2020 primary challenger when he announced his candidacy in August. But he faced fundraising hurdles and obstacles from the Republican Party from the start. A number of state parties canceled their primaries to protect Trump.