U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, D-Calif., suspended her presidential campaign on Tuesday afternoon. The 55-year-old dropped in national and state polling since July and saw her fundraising plunge.
The New York Times reported over the weekend that her campaign was unraveling following lay-offs by her campaign.
The deadline to remove her name from the California primary is approaching and Harris was positioned for only a 4th or 5th place finish in her home state. She also struggled to gain support among black voters. Harris never gained traction running on her prosecutorial record
She announced to her supporters that she doesn’t have the funds to continue the race.
“My campaign for president simply doesn’t have the financial resources we need to continue,” Harris said.
She then took a veiled shot at former New York City mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg who just entered the race.
“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. In good faith, I can’t tell you, my supporters and volunteers, that I have a path forward if I don’t believe I do,” she added.
With Harris’ departure from the race the number of candidates in the Democratic field drops to 15 candidates.
Harris could be a prospective vice presidential candidate depending on who receives the nomination. She is also in good position to run for a second term in the U.S. Senate.