Washington - After a disappointing set of performances in the
Democratic primaries, progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren is
dropping out of the race to be party's nominee for president.
"I'm suspending our campaign for president," Warren told her staff on
Thursday, urging supporters to "choose to fight only righteous
fights." She did not immediately endorse any other candidate.
The move reduces the once overcrowded field to a two-man race between
former vice president Joe Biden, who is leading in the delegate count
and has momentum, and left-wing Senator Bernie Sanders.
Biden did exceptionally well on Super Tuesday this week, securing a
significant delegate lead over Sanders, who had notched up wins in
early primaries last month.
The former vice president benefited from other moderate and centrist
candidates dropping out and endorsing his campaign, in an apparent
bid to consolidate their camp and squeeze out Sanders.
The left-wing candidate also failed to win over large chunks of older
voters and African Americans who make up a sizeable proportion of the
Democratic Party's primary voting base.
Warren, 70, did not win a single state of the 18 that already voted
in the primary, even losing her home state Massachusetts, with
polling showing her popularity was centred primarily among more
well-to-do white voters.
The former college professor ran on an anti-corruption platform and
took pride in having detailed plans for many of her reforms, which
were largely aimed at preserving US-style capitalism while firming up
social safety nets and reducing debt burdens on the middle class.