Kamala Harris drops out of 2020 race

STRATEGY BACKFIRED AND NOW SHE IS OUT OF THE RACE. IN FEBRUARY, SHE LOOKED LIKE THE CANDIDATE TO WATCH IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. HUGE CROWDS TURNED OUT FOR KAMALA HARRIS, AND EVERYTHING ABOUT THE SENATOR AND THE BUZZ OF THE INTERESTED VOTERS POINTED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION FOR 2020. >> I PLAN ON SPENDING A LOT OF TIME IN THIS STATE. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE MANY OPPORTUNITIES. I’M GOING TO WORK ON MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO SPEND TIME TOGETHER. ADAM: BUT THOSE OPPORTUNITIES NEVER MATERIALIZED, AS THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN CHOSE A STRATEGY THAT TOOK HER AWAY FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE AND IOWA IN THE EARLY STAGES OF THE CONTEST. SHE RETURNED TO THE FIRST IN THE NATION CAMPAIGN TRAIL ABOUT ONCE EVERY TWO MONTHS, ALLOWING MUCH OF THAT INTEREST IN HER CANDIDACY HERE TO DRIFT AWAY. >> IT WAS A MYSTERIOUS STRATEGY TO OPT OUT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND IT’S BEEN A PROVEN LOSING STRATEGY OVER THE YEARS AND IT HAS BEEN ONCE AGAIN. SHE WAS A ROCK STAR HERE. ADAM: AND IT’S NOT LIKE THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF LOVE HERE FOR KAMALA HARRIS. POLLS STILL SHOW A SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF SUPPORT HERE EVEN AFTER SHE BASICALLY ENDED HER CAMPAIGN. IN SOME WAYS THIS WAS A WINNING

Kamala Harris, the U.S. senator from California, announced Tuesday that she will end her quest to be the Democratic candidate for president in 2020.“I’ve taken stock and looked at this from every angle, and over the last few days have come to one of the hardest decisions of my life," she wrote in a note to supporters. “My campaign for president simply doesn’t have the financial resources we need to continue.”Harris, 54, announced on Jan. 21 that she was running for president, skipping the step of forming an exploratory committee. Harris previously served as California’s attorney general for eight years before being elected to the Senate.Harris started her campaign in a strong position in the polls, but her popularity quickly fell in early primary states.The first female and first black attorney general and U.S. senator in California’s history, she was widely viewed as a candidate poised to excite the same segment of voters that sent Barack Obama to the White House.She raised an impressive $12 million in the first three months of her campaign and quickly locked down major endorsements meant to show her dominance in her home state, which offers the biggest delegate haul in the Democratic primary contest.But as the field grew, Harris’ fundraising remained flat; she was unable to attract the type of attention being showered on Pete Buttigieg by traditional donors or the grassroots firepower that drove tens of millions of dollars to Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.Harris suffered from what allies and critics viewed as an inconsistent message. Her slogan “for the people” referenced her career as a prosecutor, a record the campaign struggled to pitch to the party’s most progressive voters.Through the summer, she focused on pocketbook issues and her “3 a.m. agenda,” a message that never seemed to resonate with voters. By the fall, she had returned to her courtroom roots with the refrain that “justice is on the ballot,” both a cry for economic and social justice as well as her call that she could “prosecute the case” against a “criminal” president.

Kamala Harris, the U.S. senator from California, announced Tuesday that she will end her quest to be the Democratic candidate for president in 2020.

“I’ve taken stock and looked at this from every angle, and over the last few days have come to one of the hardest decisions of my life," she wrote in a note to supporters. “My campaign for president simply doesn’t have the financial resources we need to continue.”

Harris, 54, announced on Jan. 21 that she was running for president, skipping the step of forming an exploratory committee. Harris previously served as California’s attorney general for eight years before being elected to the Senate.

Harris started her campaign in a strong position in the polls, but her popularity quickly fell in early primary states.

The first female and first black attorney general and U.S. senator in California’s history, she was widely viewed as a candidate poised to excite the same segment of voters that sent Barack Obama to the White House.

She raised an impressive $12 million in the first three months of her campaign and quickly locked down major endorsements meant to show her dominance in her home state, which offers the biggest delegate haul in the Democratic primary contest.

But as the field grew, Harris’ fundraising remained flat; she was unable to attract the type of attention being showered on Pete Buttigieg by traditional donors or the grassroots firepower that drove tens of millions of dollars to Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

Harris suffered from what allies and critics viewed as an inconsistent message. Her slogan “for the people” referenced her career as a prosecutor, a record the campaign struggled to pitch to the party’s most progressive voters.

Through the summer, she focused on pocketbook issues and her “3 a.m. agenda,” a message that never seemed to resonate with voters. By the fall, she had returned to her courtroom roots with the refrain that “justice is on the ballot,” both a cry for economic and social justice as well as her call that she could “prosecute the case” against a “criminal” president.

Kamala Harris drops out of 2020 race

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