Carly Fiorina drops out from presidential race

The Republican’s exit means that only one woman - Hillary Clinton - is left in the race

Ms Fiorina failed to gain many votes in the New Hampshire primary (Reuters)

Republican candidate Carly Fiorina has dropped out of the presidential race but said she will “continue to fight”.

The former chief executive only gained 4.1 per cent of the Republican vote in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday night.

Her exit means there is just one woman - Hillary Clinton - left in the race.

Ms Fiorina posted a Facebook message to say that with each election comes "empty promises" and "nothing changes".

“I've said throughout this campaign that I will not sit down and be quiet. I'm not going to start now. While I suspend my candidacy today, I will continue to travel this country and fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them,” she said.

Ms Fiorina added that girls and women should not let others “define” them. She was one of the few candidates to call out Donald Trump's negative comments towards Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly.

“Do not listen to anyone who says you have to vote a certain way or for a certain candidate because you're a woman. That is not feminism. Feminism doesn't shut down conversations or threaten women. It is not about ideology. It is not a weapon to wield against your political opponent,” she said.

Her fall from grace has been a surprise to some. It was only in September last year that the “political outsider” impressed audiences at the GOP debate with her detailed understanding of foreign policy, her approved Republican mantra against Planned Parenthood and her authoritative speech on drug legislation.

She faced critics for her leadership, however, of Hewlett-Packard. Over five years the company lost half its value and she laid off thousands of staff.

Her departure follows Republicans Chris Christie, Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum and Democrat Martin O’Malley.