Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is dropping out of the 2020 presidential race, her campaign confirmed to Axios on Tuesday.
The big picture: Harris spent the early parts of her campaign as a top-tier contender for the Democratic nomination, but struggled in the polls as Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg emerged as front-runners. She landed a few standout moments — most notably in the first debate, when she faced off with Biden over his opposition of federally mandated busing in the 1970s.
- But while Harris' poll numbers saw a spike after the first debate, the moment failed to significantly alter the course of her campaign.
- The senator laid off the majority of her New Hampshire staff in early November, hoping to go all-in on Iowa with limited cash on hand.
- Last week, more than 50 current and former staffers spoke to the New York Times about dysfunction within the campaign. Many of them spoke on the record.
Between the lines: Harris publicly questioned whether her failure to gain traction was the result of America being unprepared to elect a woman of color. In an interview on "Axios on HBO," she called the issue "the elephant in the room about [her] campaign," adding:
- "When there is not a reference point for who can do what, there is a lack of ability or a difficulty in imagining that someone who we have never seen can do a job that has been done, you know, 45 times by someone who is not that person."
Harris' record as a prosecutor also earned her criticism throughout the race.
- Harris previously defended the death penalty, despite being personally opposed to it, and fought against legislation requiring investigations into police-involved shootings.
- She also prosecuted a number of people for marijuana offenses, despite admitting to having smoked marijuana herself.
Worth noting: Harris is one of seven candidates who had qualified for the December Democratic debate.
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