Quick Takes (v45): Beto Drops Out

Quick Takes

I confess, I was not surprised to hear that a candidate had dropped out of the Democratic presidential race - honestly, I though the first to go would be Julian Castro, based on the escalating level of desperation week over week in his emails to supporters. So I was a little surprised to hear it was the other Texan, Beto O'Rourke, who dropped out yesterday.

He struggled to maintain momentum after he entered the race, he struggled in the polls, he struggled in fundraising, and he struggled to maintain excitement even after moving far to the left on guns. His focus on that issue, including a proposal for a mandatory buyback of assault-style guns, which are now referred to as 'weapons of war,' ignited almost equal passion from the left - some folks like it, while other candidates suggested that was a sure way to lose the election - and the right, where it was suggested that was a sure way for them to win the election.

He had issues getting traction in the 'moderate' lane of the race, running along with Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar in that space. Biden came in with an advantage there, and both Mayor Pete and Klobuchar had done much better in the debates, significantly overshadowing O'Rourke (and in some respects, overshadowing Biden as well). And it seems, his shift to the left may hurt him going forward.

For a young politician who might be mentioned as a possible candidate in future elections, his leftward turn may have also damaged his ability to run for statewide office in Texas again, as it’s still a Republican-leaning state. 

Here are some excerpts from O'Rourke's email to supporters.

Our campaign has been about seeing clearly, speaking honestly and acting decisively in the best interests of America.

Though it is difficult to accept, it is clear to me now that this campaign does not have the means to move forward successfully. My service to the country will not be as a candidate or as the nominee. Acknowledging this now is in the best interests of those in the campaign; it is in the best interests of this party as we seek to unify around a nominee; and it is in the best interests of the country. 

I decided to run for President because I believed that I could help bring a divided country together in common cause to confront the greatest set of challenges we’ve ever faced. I also knew that the most fundamental of them is fear — the fear that Donald Trump wants us to feel about one another; the very real fear that too many in this country live under; and the fear we sometimes feel when it comes to doing the right thing, especially when it runs counter to what is politically convenient or popular.

I knew, and I still know, that we can reject and overcome these fears and choose to instead be defined by our ambitions and our ability to achieve them.

He talked about his policies on climate change, gun safety, "institutional, systemic racism," being among the first to reject PAC, corporate, and special interest money and help from lobbyists. And,

called out Donald Trump for his white supremacy and the violence that he’s encouraged against communities that don’t look like, pray like or love like the majority in this country...

He also highlighted voting rights and immigration in his email, referring to "the most ambitious" voter registration/voting rights plan, and of "rewriting this country's immigration laws in our own image," something that didn't come across - at all - in his outreach to potential voters like me. And, he said,

And at this moment of truth for our country, we laid bare the cost and consequence of Donald Trump: the rise in hate crimes, the terror attack in El Paso, the perversion of the Constitution, the diminished standing of the United States around the world. But we also made clear the common responsibility to confront him, to hold him accountable and ensure that he does not serve another term in office. Committing ourselves to this task not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans first before we are anything else. 

And he encouraged everyone to stay in the game and not walk away. 

Though today we are suspending this campaign, let us each continue our commitment to the country in whatever capacity we can. 

Let us continue to fearlessly champion the issues and causes that brought us together... 

We will work to ensure that the Democratic nominee is successful in defeating Donald Trump in 2020. I can tell you firsthand from having the chance to know the candidates, we will be well served by any one of them, and I’m going to be proud to support whoever that nominee is. 

And proud to call them President in January 2021, because they will win.

We must support them in the race against Donald Trump and support them in their administration afterwards, do all that we can to help them heal a wounded country and bring us together in meeting the greatest set of challenges we have ever known.

I’m confident I will see you down the road, and I look forward to that day. 

Thank you for making this campaign possible, and for continuing to believe that we can turn this moment of great peril into a moment of great promise for America and the world. 

With you always, and forever grateful.

Beto

Who will be next? And how long will it take? We're likely to see additional movement once the October fundraising reports come out.