Kirsten Gillibrand has ended her campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
The two-term senator for New York told the New York Times in an interview she would endorse another Democratic candidate, but she hasn’t yet decided. Gillibrand took to the trail with an anti-Trump message, calling the White House incumbent a “coward” during her launch in March outside Trump Tower in Manhattan. She also pushed women’s issues as part of her “Brave Wins” agenda, including abortion access and affordable child care.
The 52-year-old, however, failed to register above the low single-digits in the polls. She outpaced in opinion surveys and fundraising even by fringe candidates such as entrepreneur Andrew Yang and self-help author Marianne Williamson.
Gillibrand ended her campaign after failing to qualify for the September round of Democratic presidential primary debates. She had not met the 130,000 donor threshold or the polling threshold.
Today, I am ending my campaign for president.
I am so proud of this team and all we’ve accomplished. But I think it’s important to know how you can best serve.
To our supporters: Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Now, let’s go beat Donald Trump and win back the Senate. pic.twitter.com/xM5NGfgFGT
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) August 28, 2019
“It’s important to know when it’s not your time, and to know how you can best serve your community and country,” Gillibrand said in a video announcing the end of her candidacy. “I believe I can best serve by helping to unite us to beat Donald Trump in 2020.”
In 2017, the former congresswoman became one of the first senators to call for the resignation of Al Franken, a Minnesota Democrat popular with the Democratic Party’s Left, after sexual misconduct allegations.
Languishing in the polls and under pressure to drop out, Gillibrand said earlier this month she would “of course” accept an offer to become the eventual nominee’s running mate. She added, “I will do public service in all its forms.”
