DES MOINES, Iowa -- After garnering 0.02 percent of Iowa's caucus-goers on Thursday, U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., is abandoning his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The veteran lawmaker plans to announce his thanks to volunteers and supporters on Saturday at noon from his home in East Haddam.

Dodd Campaign E-Mail To Supporters

Dodd, 63, was never able to break from the pack of Democratic contenders despite his long and distinguished Senate career.

Fellow U.S. Sen. Joe Biden also dropped out after a strong finish by U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, former U.S. Sen. John Edwards and Hillary Clinton were second and third respectively.

In October, the senator moved his wife and two daughters to a rental house in Des Moines to concentrate on garnering a strong finish in the state's caucuses. According to the campaign, Dodd had 72 paid staffers in Iowa, some of whom were shifted from New Hampshire.

In November, a Quinnipiac University poll of Connecticut voters indicated that the senator's constituents thought he should duck out early. The poll indicated Dodd pulled about 5 percent of those participating in the survey.

The poll found that 50 percent of those surveyed said Dodd was spending too much time on the campaign trail and not enough time serving as senator, and 70 percent said Dodd should drop out of the presidential race.

Dodd received national support as campaigns organized early in the presidential race. Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter Paul Simon endorsed and campaigned in Iowa for Dodd in July.

In August, the 280,000-member International Association of Firefighters officially endorsed Dodd.