Elizabeth Warren drops Democratic presidential bid
March 5, 2020
The end of her campaign follows big losses in all 14 "Super Tuesday" states. Her withdrawal leaves just former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders in the democratic race.
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Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren dropped her bid on Thursday, turning the bid for the Democratic presidential nomination into a straight fight between two of the favorites before the process started, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.
Her dropout follows a difficult Super Tuesday, in which she finished well behind the two front-runners in primaries in all 14 states, not even managing to claim her home state of Massachusetts.
"I'm suspending our campaign for president," said the 70-year-old liberal lawmaker. "I may not be in the race for president in 2020, but this fight — our fight — is not over," she said.
Warren who campaigned on the platform of having a "plan for everything," saw marked success through the early parts of her campaign, with high ratings in opinion polls and impressive fundraising, raising over $112 million (€110 million) from grassroots contributions.
Last summer, she drew tens of thousands of supporters to Manhattan's Washington Square Park, and to many other locations including in Washington state and Minnesota. In her campaign, she called for "structural change" to the American political system to reorder the nation's economy. Additionally, she backed a 2% wealth tax on households worth more than $50 million.
She also hasn't yet announced an endorsement for either Sanders or Biden, and says she is still assessing who would best uphold her agenda. She is broadly seen as more left-leaning than the moderate Biden, but less of a firebrand than Sanders.
Her candidacy was overshadowed by a previous scandal, in which she released a DNA test in response to goading by Trump, who nicknamed her "Pocahontas" and challenged her to prove that she had Native American ancestry. However, the move offended tribal leaders who said it was culturally insensitive.
Warren started losing support in her bid when she repeatedly refused to answer questions about if she'd raise taxes on the middle class to fund Medicare for All.
US elections: Who are the Democratic candidates?
The Democratic race to see who will be the party's nominee in the 2020 presidential elections has begun. The party has more than a dozen candidates vying to take on President Trump. Here are some of the lead contenders.
Image: Getty Images/S. Olson
Bernie Sanders
The US senator from Vermont is making his second attempt at becoming the Democratic nominee for president. The Vermont resident, raised in New York City, is a self-described democratic socialist whose liberal policies include medicare for all and free tuition to public universities.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/M. Altaffer
Joe Biden
Characterized as a moderate Democrat, the former vice president under Barack Obama is making his third presidential bid — after unsuccessful campaigns in 1988 and 2008. Republican President Donald Trump in December was impeached for pressuring Ukraine to investigate Biden's son, Hunter.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Kyodo
Elizabeth Warren
The US senator from Massachusetts is making her first presidential run after declining to do so in 2016. She is a progressive Democrat who has proposed plans to introduce a wealth tax, reduce student debt in the US and to offer free tuition at public universities.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/S. Senne
Pete Buttigieg
The former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana became a candidate for the Democratic nomination after the Iowa caucus results saw him neck-and-neck with Sanders. A moderate, Buttigieg is a self-described democratic capitalist who advocated for working with labor unions, and released a three-part plan to combat climate change. Buttigieg pulled out of the race ahead of the Super Tuesday primaries.
Image: Reuters/B. McDermid
Amy Klobuchar
The US senator from Minnesota was a darkhorse candidate who struggled to pull in broader support outside her home state. She is a moderate, experienced lawmaker who has called for a $100 million plan to combat drug and alcohol addiction and urged improvements on mental health care. Klobuchar pulled out of the race shortly before Super Tuesday, throwing her support behind Biden.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Souffle
Michael Bloomberg
The former Independent New York City mayor and billionaire business mogul is making his first run in the presidential race. He joined the bid to be the Democratic nominee after he voiced dissatisfaction with the Democratic field, with anti-establishment figures gaining steam. He has unveiled election plans that call for a wealth tax, gun control and environmental protections.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP/The Augusta Chronicle/M. Holahan
