Elizabeth Warren, the liberal firebrand who emerged as a top Democratic contender for the White House on the strength of an anti-corruption platform backed by a dizzying array of policy proposals, ended her campaign on Thursday.
A former bankruptcy law professor who forged a national reputation as a scourge of Wall Street even before entering politics, Warren had banked on a strong showing on Super Tuesday after a string of disappointing finishes in the early states.
But she trailed far behind front-runners Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden, placing third in her home state of Massachusetts, which she continues to represent in the U.S. Senate.
Warren held a call with her vast organizing staff on Thursday morning to break the news.
“I may not be in the race for president in 2020, but this fight – our fight – is not over,” she said. “The fight may take a new form, but I will be in that fight, and I want you in this fight with me. We will persist.”
Warren’s exit comes one day after former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who also had a disappointing Super Tuesday, dropped out on Wednesday.
Warren, 70, was the last woman among the top tier of candidates in a Democratic field that began as the most diverse in history. Her departure could provide a boost to fellow liberal Sanders if some of her support pivots to the senator from Vermont, though voters do not always follow ideological lines.
Six months ago Warren was ascendant, having steadily risen in national opinion polls after dozens of deeply researched policy rollouts led to the slogan: “Warren has a plan for that.”
She centered her campaign on battling the influence of money in politics, arguing that on every significant issue – gun control, climate change, healthcare – the power of corporate lobbyists and billionaires would stymie any opportunity to achieve meaningful change. (Reuters)
