After a campaign that lasted over six months, former Texas Democrat Congressman Beto O’Rourke has announced he has officially ended his campaign for president.
In a statement released Friday afternoon, O’Rourke acknowledged the flatlining of his presidential bid, saying, “It is clear to me now that this campaign does not have the means to move forward successfully.”
O’Rourke, who gave up his congressional seat for a failed campaign against Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, entered the race in March with a campaign pitch that included confronting “the hard truths of slavery and segregation” in the country, “reasserting our global leadership,” universal taxpayer-funded healthcare, and open borders.
But as the Democrat field began to grow, the spark that once enamored the left-wing media and Democrat establishment quickly began to fade, as O’Rourke struggled to remain relevant as the campaign went on.
With poll numbers and campaign cash both dwindling, O’Rourke eventually took more and more radical positions in a ”Hail Mary” attempt to stay in the race, notably calling for the forceful confiscation of firearms from law-abiding Americans.
Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15.
Buy your shirt now: https://t.co/kEJxoLvfH5 pic.twitter.com/KKpAKX4IL8
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) September 13, 2019
But even the Democrat Party, which has lunged more and more to the left during the Trump presidency, failed to latch on to O’Rourke’s extreme proposal; and he failed to move the needle, potentially being locked out of the upcoming debate due to his low, single-digit poll performance.
President Donald Trump soon took to Twitter to lampoon the former candidate, who once said he was “born” for the race.
Oh no, Beto just dropped out of race for President despite him saying he was “born for this.” I don’t think so!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 1, 2019
While the Democrat primary has a long way to go until its conclusion, and the November 2020 election is a year away, citizens can at least take solace that their firearms will be safe for the moment, as O’Rourke loses another shot at higher office. For now, he has said he will not enter the race for Senate against Sen. John Cornyn.
