Sen. Kamala Harris Drops Out Of 2020 Presidential Race
Kamala Harris has withdrawn her candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination, she announced Tuesday (Dec. 3).
The California Senator told her staff about her decision on Tuesday (Dec. 3) morning before sending an official email statement to supporters, CNN reports.
According to Politico, she will release a video momentarily announcing her plans publicly.
CNBC reports Harris, 55, canceled a high profile New York fundraiser and her campaign described the nature of the cancellation as a “personal matter.”
In her note to supporters, Harris wrote that “my campaign for president simply doesn’t have the financial resources we need to continue,” the Washington Post reports.
“It is with deep regret -- but also with deep gratitude -- that I am suspending my campaign today,” she wrote. “But I want to be clear with you: I am still very much in this fight.”
While she has qualified for the December debate, Harris was in single digits in both national and early-state polls, the Washington Post reports.
Throughout her campaign, she struggled to sustain support from vital Democratic voting blocs, particularly African Americans, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Her biracial background, and as a daughter of immigrants -- her mother is a breast cancer researcher from India and her father is a Jamaican economist -- was initially seen as a major asset at a time when African Americans, Latinos and Asians are each important blocs in the Democratic coalition, the Los Angeles Times reports.
But her uneven performance in the campaign, especially when it pertained to healthcare, reportedly caused her poll ratings to drop and she never recovered, the Los Angeles Times reports.
“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.
“I will keep fighting every day for what this campaign has been about,” she also wrote. “Justice for The People. All the people.”
After her announcement, Senator Cory Booker, who is also running for the Democratic Presidential nomination, tweeted, “My dear friend @KamalaHarris is a trailblazer. I’ve loved serving with her in the Senate and every moment we’ve run into one another on the trail. Her campaign broke barriers and did it with joy. Love you, sister.”
Another Democratic presidential hopeful, Tulsi Gabbard, tweeted, “Sending my best wishes to @KamalaHarris, her family & supporters who have campaigned so hard.”
Hillary Clinton also tweeted shortly after Harris’ announcement but wrote her message “To all the candidates, staff, and volunteers who have worked their hearts out for presidential campaigns that have ended…”
Reactions to Harris’ announcement have been posted on social media with one commenting “all of the candidates who currently qualify for the December Democratic debate are white.”
“White supremacy is not just a Fox News problem, folks,” @laurenduca tweeted.
Some took a more comical approach to their reaction.
Supporters voiced their dismay.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
