Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, said Tuesday that she’s suspending her campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination after struggling to gain momentum for her campaign.
In a letter sent Tuesday to supporters and published on Medium, Harris said that "as the campaign has gone on, it's become harder and harder to raise the money we need to compete."
“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. “My campaign for president simply doesn’t have the financial resources we need to continue."
Harris launched her presidential campaign to great fanfare in January with more than 22,000 supporters in Oakland, California. Shortly after her announcement, President Donald Trump told The New York Times that Harris had "the best opening so far."
She raised an impressive $12 million in the first three months of her campaign and quickly locked down major endorsements meant to show her dominance in her home state, which offers the biggest delegate haul in the Democratic primary contest.
But as the field grew, Harris’s fundraising remained flat; she was unable to attract the type of attention being showered on Pete Buttigieg by traditional donors or the grassroots firepower that drove tens of millions of dollars to Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.
Harris had qualified for the December presidential debate, however, The Washington Post reported, her support was faltering with national and early-state polls showing her with only single-digit numbers in terms of support.
Harris is the third Democratic presidential hopeful to announce an exit from the race this week. On Sunday, Joe Sestak, a former U.S. congressman and retired Navy admiral, ended his bid. On Monday, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock announced he had suspended his presidential campaign.
Fifteen candidates remain in the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
Check back for updates to this developing story.
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