Kirsten Gillibrand, the New York senator who fashioned a campaign on the rights of women and families, has pulled out of the Democratic race after failing to qualify for the third round of debates.
A statement from her campaign read that “while this is not the result we wanted, Kirsten is proud of her aggressive, innovative and policy-driven campaign”.
In a video posted on Twitter, Gillibrand said that it was “important to know when it’s not your time and to know how you can best serve your community and country”.
“I believe I can best serve by helping to unite us to beat Donald Trump in 2020,” she added.
Gillibrand launched her 2020 presidential bid in front of Donald Trump’s eponymous hotel in midtown Manhattan on a windy afternoon in March where she called the billionaire a “coward”.
To counter Trump, she became the first Democratic candidate to release her tax returns, and vowed to only nominate supreme court judges who support women’s reproductive rights.
But in a field of 23, including a record number of women, her campaign never really got off the ground. She battled Joe Biden over his record on women’s rights but failed to distinguish herself against the other progressives in the field, such as Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.
Today, I am ending my campaign for president.
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) August 28, 2019
I am so proud of this team and all we've accomplished. But I think it’s important to know how you can best serve.
To our supporters: Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Now, let's go beat Donald Trump and win back the Senate. pic.twitter.com/xM5NGfgFGT
Despite having, she boasted, the most anti-Trump voting record in the race, she never got above the low single-digits in polls. And she had to wrestle with her record, including receiving an “A” rating from the NRA. As her campaign failed to set out a unique point of sale for her candidacy, she began to bristle at an emerging notion that only a man can beat Trump.
“The evidence is contrary to that assumption,” Gillibrand told the Guardian in May. “I really believe that President Trump’s Achilles heel is a woman who speaks her mind.”
“I think his kryptonite is definitely a mother of young children who stands up for herself,” she said. “I don’t think he’ll be able to be effective in demeaning or dismissing me. And if he tries, I think it not only makes me relevant but I think it will make him look small.”
Gillibrand has yet to endorse another candidate, but hinted that a woman might be best suited for the job. “I think that women have a unique ability to bring people together and heal this country,” she told the New York Times today. “I think a woman nominee would be inspiring and exciting.”
Gillibrand said she felt she had helped “move the conversation”.
“I would absolutely consider anything that was asked of me, because my goal is to serve,” she concluded. “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure our nominee defeats Trump.”
Several of the remaining Democratic candidates responded to the news with praise for the senator and particularly her record on women’s rights.
“Thank you for being part of this race, @SenGillibrand, and for your unwavering commitment to fighting for women—from reproductive rights to paid leave,” tweeted Elizabeth Warren.
Kamala Harris said: “My friend @SenGillibrand is a brave voice on some of the most critical issues facing our country today — from childcare to sexual assault. She is a champion and I know she’s not done fighting for women and families everywhere.”
