Beto O’Rourke ended his 2020 bid for the Democratic nomination for president on Friday. In a Medium post, O’Rourke wrote to supporters:
Though it is difficult to accept, it is clear to me now that this campaign does not have the means to move forward successfully. My service to the country will not be as a candidate or as the nominee. 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 decided to run for President because I believed that I could help bring a divided country together in common cause to confront the greatest set of challenges we’ve ever faced. I also knew that the most fundamental of them is fear — the fear that Donald Trump wants us to feel about one another; the very real fear that too many in this country live under; and the fear we sometimes feel when it comes to doing the right thing, especially when it runs counter to what is politically convenient or popular.
O’Rourke went on to describe some of the proudest moments and advocacy of his campaign. He did not yet offer an endorsement for another Democratic candidate but promised to support the eventual nominee.
Also on Friday, his campaign reiterated what the candidate has said many times: he is not running for the U.S. Senate in Texas again.
“Beto will not be a candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas in 2020,” Rob Friedlander, an aide to Mr. O’Rourke, told the New York Times on Friday.
Gilberto Hinojosa, chair of the Texas Democratic Party, praised O’Rourke in a statement following the announcement.
“In the wake of the El Paso shootings, he made the entire country proud as he focused his campaign on ending gun violence and the rise of white supremacy. He made Texas proud. Beto O’Rourke has done amazing things for the Democratic Party in Texas.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
