Beto O’Rourke Drops Out of Presidential Race
Former Texas Democrat congressman Beto O’Rourke announced Friday he is withdrawing from the 2020 presidential race, telling supporters “it is clear to me now that this campaign does not have the means to move forward successfully.”
O’Rourke entered the race in March to great fanfare after nearly defeating Texas incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2018 midterms but struggled to gain traction in the massive Democratic primary field.
“My service to the country will not be as a candidate or as the nominee,” O’Rourke wrote in a post on Medium.
“Acknowledging this now is in the best interests of those in the campaign; it is in the best interests of this party as we seek to unify around a nominee; and it is in the best interests of the country.”
I am grateful to all the people who made up the heart and soul of this campaign. You were among the hundreds of thousands who made a donation, signed up to volunteer or spread the word about this campaign and our opportunity to help decide the election of our lifetime.
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) November 1, 2019
President Trump reacted to the news by tweeting Friday, “Oh no, Beto just dropped out of race for President despite him saying he was ‘born for this.’ I don’t think so!”
Oh no, Beto just dropped out of race for President despite him saying he was “born for this.” I don’t think so!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 1, 2019
The 47-year-old O’Rourke was urged to run for president by many Democrats who were energized by last year’s narrow Senate in reliably Republican Texas. He raised an astonishing amount of money from small donors across the country, visited every county in the Lone Star State and used social media and livestreaming video to engage directly with voters. He ultimately lost to Cruz by three percentage points.
“Beto” was born Robert Francis O’Rourke.