With two months until the Iowa Caucuses, the Democratic race for President continued to shrink in size, as Sen. Kamala Harris of California gave up her bid for the White House, unable to hang on to momentum from the first two debates earlier this year, as she slid from the top tier to struggling to raise enough money to stay in the race.
“To my supporters, it is with deep regret - but also with deep gratitude - that I am suspending my campaign today,” Harris said in a statement.
Early on, Harris attracted a lot of attention in the first two Democratic debates, as she zeroed in on the early favorite, former Vice President Joe Biden, focusing on how Biden dealt with racial issues during his years in the U.S. Senate.
“I do not believe you are a racist,” Harris said, as she launched a well planned attack against Biden which provided her with an early boost.
But she could never sustain that momentum.
“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 wrote in an email to supporters, announcing her decision.
“My campaign for president simply doesn’t have the financial resources we need to continue,” Harris said.
“I don't know anyone who thought Harris would be dropping out & Biden would be at 50% with black voters in December, after that debate moment in late June... but here we are,” tweeted political analyst Harry Enten.
Harris kept up her jabs at Biden in the second debate - and saw her poll numbers bubble up soon after - but that support faded away over the past four months.
Recent national polls had Harris under 5 percent. She had dropped to the same levels in Iowa, and was even lower in New Hampshire.
The poll slide came as fundraising suffered as well.
The decision by Harris comes just over two weeks before the next Democratic debate on December 19 in Los Angeles - which will be in her home state of California.
At this point, these are the Democrats who will be on stage for the December debate: Biden, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Sanders, Steyer, and Warren.
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