(REUTERS) - Republican Governor Scott Walker plans to drop out of the 2016 US presidential race after deciding he has no path to win his party's nomination, a Republican familiar with the decision said on Monday.

Mr Walker's campaign announced he would hold a news conference Monday, but it did not say what he would discuss.

Mr Walker, who gained national attention for fighting unions in his state and surviving a heated recall election in 2012, struggled to distinguish himself in a crowded Republican field.

He received 3 per cent of support in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll of the Republican field.