Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg dropped out of the 2020 Democratic presidential race Sunday, according to numerous reports.
The decision comes following a poor showing in South Carolina’s primary Saturday. The former mayor earned just 2% of black votes, early polling indicated according to the New York Times.
“Pete Buttigieg to announce he is out of the presidential race, his staff now hearing the news in campaign call, sources tell us,” Politico reporter Carla Marinucci tweeted.
The former mayor tweeted about his decision to drop out Sunday evening. Buttigieg thanked supporters and noted that “together we’ll beat this president [Donald Trump] and build the era that must come next.”
Thank you for inviting me into your homes, sharing your stories, and putting your trust in me. We launched our campaign because Americans are hungry for a new kind of politics that brings us together.
And together we’ll beat this president and build the era that must come next. pic.twitter.com/QDajvx1lpL
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) March 2, 2020
Buttigieg, 38, narrowly won the Iowa primary in February over Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. He claimed victory before the results were officially in, causing backlash among many. The openly gay former mayor then came in third in the Nevada caucuses and followed it up with a fourth place finish in South Carolina Saturday. (RELATED: ‘What An F-ing Disaster’: NBC Hot Mic Moment Appears To Catch Panelist Trashing Iowa Caucuses)
Despite being one of the frontrunners for much of the Democratic race, Buttigieg failed to draw support from voters of color, the NYT reported. The former mayor told supporters Sunday that he would “do everything” possible to make sure there would be “a new Democratic president come January.”
“We sent a message to every kid out there wondering if whatever marks them out as different means they are destined to be less than,” Buttigieg added Sunday. “To see someone who once felt that exact same way can become a leading presidential candidate with his husband at his side.”
WATCH:
.@PeteButtigieg: “I am making the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the presidency. I will no longer seek to be the 2020 Democratic nominee for president, but I will do everything in my power to ensure that we have a new Democratic president come January.” pic.twitter.com/pbDXsWwFPZ
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 2, 2020
The decision follows a CNN town hall Monday, where Buttigieg said that there had been no talks regarding dropping out. Buttigieg joins billionaire Tom Steyer, who dropped out Saturday, on the increasing list of failed presidential candidates.
Just hours before Buttigieg’s announcement, he said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that his campaign would “be assessing at every turn not only what the right answer is for the campaign, but making sure the every step we take is in the best interest of the party and that goal of making sure we defeat [President] Donald Trump, because our country can’t take four more years of this.”
Trump tweeted about Buttigieg’s exit shortly after the announcement and wrote that it was the beginning of Democrats “taking Bernie out of play.” The decision to suspend his campaign comes shortly before Super Tuesday, where 14 states will go to the polls.
Pete Buttigieg is OUT. All of his SuperTuesday votes will go to Sleepy Joe Biden. Great timing. This is the REAL beginning of the Dems taking Bernie out of play – NO NOMINATION, AGAIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 1, 2020