Senator Kamala Harris ended her 2020 presidential bid on Tuesday, abandoning a campaign that began with promise for a rising Democratic Party star but faltered as she struggled to raise money and make a compelling case for her candidacy, Reuters reported.
Her departure further narrows the field of White House contenders exactly two months before voting begins in Iowa, the first nominating contest, and gives her rivals a chance to court Harris’ supporters in their final bids to shore up the nomination.
Harris, 55, the only minority woman in the race, would have been the first woman and second black U.S. president if elected next November.
The senator from California positioned herself as a unifying candidate who could energize the party’s base of young, diverse progressives while also appealing to more moderate voters.
Yet after climbing into double digits in opinion polls following a strong debate performance in June, Harris slid out of the top tier in recent months and lagged behind leading candidates’ fundraising hauls.
“I’ve taken stock and looked at this from every angle, and over the last few days have come to one of the hardest decisions of my life,” Harris said in an email to supporters on Tuesday. “My campaign for president simply doesn’t have the financial resources we need to continue.”
Harris finished September with $9 million in cash, according to finance disclosures her campaign filed. By comparison, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren had nearly $26 million at that point, Reuters noted.
Harris’ campaign recently began showing signs of trouble, including stagnant fundraising and public complaints by former staffers that her staff was being treated poorly.
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