by Henry Carlson
The upcoming 2020 election in November is a highly anticipated event that has the attention of the nation. With primaries around the corner starting in March, it may be a good time to get up-to-date on the current presidential candidates, and more specifically, those who have dropped out.
As of this publication, there are 11 Democrats and 3 Republicans running. Seventeen candidates have dropped out; 17 Democrats and 1 Republican. Here we will look at some of the more noteworthy candidates that have had to tap out of the race.
Bill de Blasio:
The current Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio established a liberal platform for his campaign, but found trouble running against other far left candidates like Bernie Sanders. De Blasio’s run came to a slow in September, coming to an official end on September 20.
De Blasio said, “I feel like I’ve contributed all I can to this primary election, and it’s clearly not my time.”
Cory Booker:
Democratic senator from New Jersey, Cory Booker withdrew from the race on January 13 after failing to gain traction among early state voters. Booker said in an email to his supporters, “I will carry this fight forward — I just won’t be doing it as a candidate for president this year.”
Beto O’Rourke:
Democrat Beto O’Rourke announced his campaign on May 14 after representing Texas’ 16th congressional district in the House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. O’Rourke faced financial strains late into his race and after meeting with advisors; cuts that would have had to have been made for O’Rourke to continue his race proved too steep.
On November 1, O’Rourke announced the end of his campaign. O’Rourke said he was proud of what his campaign had accomplished but lacked “the means to move forward successfully.”
Kamala Harris:
Serving as the California Junior Democratic Senator from 2017 to present, Kamala Harris initially entered the presidential race on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2019. Harris campaigned for 11 months before dropping out of the race on December 3.
In the final weeks of her campaign, Harris struggled in the polls and had to end her race due to financial limitations. Harris said, “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.”
