Beto O’Rourke Drops Out of 2020 Presidential Race

Beto O’Rourke has ended his 2020 presidential bid.

The former Texas congressman announced his decision Friday, following a disappointing campaign in the ongoing Democratic primary.

“Though it is difficult to accept, it is clear to me now that this campaign does not have the means to move forward successfully,” he wrote in a Medium post. “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.

O’Rourke said he decided to enter the race to combat the nation’s growing division, which has been fueled by President Donald Trump. The 47-year-old thanked his volunteers and staff for the work they’ve put in throughout his run, and then promised to support the eventual Democratic nominee.

“We will work to ensure that the Democratic nominee is successful in defeating Donald Trump in 2020,” he wrote. “I can tell you firsthand from having the chance to know the candidates, we will be well served by any one of them, and I’m going to be proud to support whoever that nominee is. And proud to call them President in January 2021, because they will win.”

O’Rourke entered the 2020 primary in mid-March and was expected to become one of the party’s frontrunners. The El Paso native was catapulted into the national spotlight last year, when he lost to incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz by only 3 percentage points. Yes, a loss is a loss, but his ability to generate so much enthusiasm in such a deeply conservative state made the country take notice. However, O’Rourke failed to maintain that momentum during his presidential bid.

Sources told the New York Times he does not intend to run for any office next year.

A number of Democratic presidential candidates have taken to Twitter to thank O’Rourke for his commitment to issues like gun control and immigration reform.