[2020 Election News\Sen. Kamala Harris]
Sen. Harris: “I’m not a billionaire. I can’t fund my own campaign. And as the campaign has gone on, it’s become harder and harder to raise the money we need to compete. In good faith, I can’t tell you, my supporters and volunteers, that I have a path forward if I don’t believe I do.”
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Today, California Senator Kamala Harris dropped out of the 2020 presidential race citing money problems.
Senator Harris’ campaign after an initial boost of enthusiasm has been unable to gain lasting traction.
Still, the news came as a stunning development since Senator Harris was considered a top tier candidate. In fact, after the first televised Democratic presidential debate, many in media praised her performance which included her challenges against former Vice-President Joe Biden for his stance on busing and working relationship with southern segregationists.
Senator Harris explained her decision this way, “I’m not a billionaire. I can’t fund my own campaign. And as the campaign has gone on, it’s become harder and harder to raise the money we need to compete. In good faith, I can’t tell you, my supporters and volunteers, that I have a path forward if I don’t believe I do.”
The California senator, who also served as California’s Attorney General, and as San Francisco’s District Attorney, in a note to her supporters said, “Eleven months ago at the launch of our campaign in Oakland I told you all: ‘I am not perfect.’ But I will always speak with decency and moral clarity and treat all people with dignity and respect. I will lead with integrity. I will speak the truth. And that’s what I have tried to do every day of this campaign. So here’s the truth today 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. My campaign for president simply doesn’t have the financial resources we need to continue.”
Senator Harris on Twitter said, “So, to you my supporters, it is with deep regret — but also with deep gratitude — that I am suspending my campaign today. But I want to be clear with you: I will keep fighting every day for what this campaign has been about. Justice for the People. All the people.”
Reportedly, Senator Harris announced her decision in a staff call. One source said Senator Harris sounded distraught during the call.
Recently, news has surfaced about an ongoing internal turmoil within her campaign. Rumors say that one primary problem revolved around how to articulate Senator Harris’ mix-bag history as a prosecutor–in a time when Democratic voters, especially African-Americans, are fighting against mass incarceration and racial policing. Some (like University of San Francisco law Professor Lara Bazelon) have taken issue with Harris’ claim that she was a “progressive prosecutor.”
