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.

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.

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.

Brandon Waltens

Brandon serves as the Senior Editor for Texas Scorecard. After managing successful campaigns for top conservative legislators and serving as a Chief of Staff in the Texas Capitol, Brandon moved outside the dome in order to shine a spotlight on conservative victories and establishment corruption in Austin. @bwaltens

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