Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet drops out of 2020 presidential race

Sen. Michael Bennet dropped out of the 2020 Democratic presidential race as results started rolling in from the New Hampshire primary Tuesday.

Bennet thanked his supporters in a tweet before giving remarks Tuesday night, after NBC News projected that the top three in the New Hampshire primary would be Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar.

Bennet, who has represented Colorado since 2009, failed to gain traction in the race, topping out at 1% support in most recent polls. His fundraising also lagged well behind most of his rivals in the crowded field.

He participated in the June and July Democratic debates, but failed to make the cut for every debate after.

In the Iowa caucuses, the first 2020 primary contest, Bennet failed to register, receiving 0% of votes and no state delegates, NBC News reported.

Shortly before he declared his presidential bid in May 2019, Bennet was diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to CNN. He had surgery soon after and had recovered by the time he joined the race.

When jumping into the primary, Bennet touted his victories in tough races in Colorado, considered a swing state.

In his campaign announcement, Bennet focused on expanding health care access with a public health insurance option, implementing a tax cut for families and reforming the political system, from lobbying to campaign finance laws.

The moderate Democrat pushed back against proposals from some of his more progressive rivals, like the “Medicare for All” and tuition-free public college plans championed by Sens. Bernie Sanders, (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)

“I’m not going to say there’s a simple solution to a problem if I don’t believe there is one,” he said in the video launching his candidacy. “You can’t fix a broken Washington if you don’t level with the American people.”

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/11/democratic-sen-michael-bennet-drops-out-of-2020-presidential-race.html