Kamala Harris drops out of 2020 Democratic presidential race
The California Democrat gave her staff the news in a phone call on Tuesday.
California Sen. Kamala Harris is dropping out of the Democratic presidential primary, telling her staff during a conference call on Tuesday, according to multiple media outlets.
Harris said in an email to supporters announcing the news that fundraising had become increasingly difficult in recent months.
“My campaign for president simply doesn’t have the financial resources we need to continue. I’m not a billionaire. I can’t fund my own campaign. And as the campaign has gone on, it’s become harder and harder to raise the money we need to compete,” she wrote.
She added, “In good faith, I can’t tell you, my supporters and volunteers, that I have a path forward if I don’t believe I do.”
Harris noted that despite her decision, she was still “very much in this fight.”
“I will keep fighting every day for what this campaign has been about. Justice for The People. All the people,” she wrote. “Our campaign has been about fighting for people whose voices have not been heard or too often ignored. We will keep up that fight.”
Harris’ husband, Douglas Emhoff, seemed to confirm the news Tuesday afternoon, posting a picture of himself embracing Harris, along with the caption, “I’ve got you. As always.”
I’ve got you. As always.❤️ pic.twitter.com/5OJDT3cDfw
— Doug Emhoff (@DouglasEmhoff) December 3, 2019
Harris gained traction early on in the primary, drawing a large crowd at her kick off rally in Oakland, California, back in January.
However, her prospects faded in recent months, as she struggled to break into what has become a four-person field of front-runners: former Vice President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
Harris was one of a handful of nonwhite candidates running for president on the Democratic side. Still in the race are New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker (D), former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D), and businessman Andrew Yang.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick also joined the race in mid-November.
When she ascended to the Senate in 2017, Harris became just the second black woman elected to the upper chamber in United States history. Had she been elected president, she would have been the first woman of color in that role.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
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