Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is no longer running for his party’s nomination in the 2020 presidential election.
Ending his presidential bid on Monday, Booker said in a press release, “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.”
The New Jersey Democrat continued to note that his campaign didn’t have enough funds to continue, and cited the difficulty to raise enough, as he wouldn’t have been of the debate stage on Tuesday in Iowa.
“I’m proud of the ideas we brought to this Democratic primary and, more importantly, the values we championed throughout — that the only way we make progress is by bringing people together — even when we were told that our approach couldn’t win. Because our values must always be our values, even when that’s not convenient.”
In a message to his supporters and campaign, Booker wrote, “I’m so grateful to the supporters who invested time, money, and resources into building this organization. I’m forever indebted to you and your activism.”
“We know beating Donald Trump is the floor, not the ceiling,” Booker is heard saying in his “Thank You” video released with his announcement.
Watch the video below:
Booker vowed to do “everything in [his] power to elect the eventual Democratic nominee for president.”
“We may have not reached our ultimate goal, but over the last year I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so many incredible, inspiring, engaged people all over this country, and I am more confident now than ever that together we will rise,” Booker concluded his statement.
Now, there are 12 Democrats who are still vying for the party’s nomination. The next Democratic debate will be on Tuesday night in Des Moines, Iowa.