Several Democrat candidates bid Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) farewell following his decision to drop out of the Democrat primary race, leaving a field of largely white candidates.
Booker, who has been struggling to successfully appeal to the bulk of Democrat primary voters, officially ended his White House bid on Monday, citing fundraising struggles.
“It’s with a full heart that I share this news — I’ve made the decision to suspend my campaign for president,” Booker wrote to supporters.
“It was a difficult decision to make, but I got in this race to win, and I’ve always said I wouldn’t continue if there was no longer a path to victory,” he continued.
He added:
Our campaign has reached the point where we need more money to scale up and continue building a campaign that can win — money we don’t have, and money that is harder to raise because I won’t be on the next debate stage and because the urgent business of impeachment will rightly be keeping me in Washington,” the senator added. “So I’ve chosen to suspend my campaign now, take care of my wonderful staff, and give you time to consider the other strong choices in the field.
Several Democrat candidates thanked Booker for his presence in the race.
“Thank you @CoryBooker for running an inspiring campaign to make this the country based on love and justice we know we can become,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) wrote.
“I look forward to working together to defeat Trump, end his hatred, and lift up working people everywhere,” he added:
“.@CoryBooker joined this race knowing that progress is only possible when we rise together,” former Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) wrote.
“From fighting for criminal justice reform to championing Baby Bonds, he leads with compassion and conviction—I look forward to working with him to meet our challenges with common purpose,” he added:
“Cory, you campaigned with joy and heart, and instead of just talking about bringing people together, you did it every day,” Biden wrote, adding that Booker “made our politics better just by running”:
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Booker’s departure further diminishes the Democrat Party’s once racially diverse field, which began to thin following Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Julián Castro’s (D) respective departures. Booker’s absence, however, has no bearing on Tuesday’s Democrat debate in Des Moines, Iowa, as he did not meet the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) requirements.
The debate stage will feature all white candidates, as Andrew Yang (D) failed to meet the DNC’s increased polling threshold.
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