Kamala Harris, the front-running candidate of color, dropped out of the Democratic race yesterday after falling poll numbers and a disorganized campaign.
Harris’ departure comes days after Kelly Mehlenbacher, the campaign’s operations director, resigned.
“This is my third presidential campaign and I have never seen an organization treat its staff so poorly,” Mehlenbacher wrote in her letter of resignation. “Morale has never been lower.”
In addition, Harris’ poll numbers dropped from 15 percent earlier this year to less than 5 percent.
In a video posted on Twitter, an emotional Harris said that she could not continue her candidacy in good faith and that her campaign didn’t “have the financial resources to continue.”
It has been the honor of my life to be your candidate. We will keep up the fight. pic.twitter.com/RpZhx3PENl
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) December 3, 2019
Harris currently serves as the junior U.S. Senator for California and was previously the Attorney General of that state. Her presidential campaign was filled with controversy from its beginning: as a state prosecutor, Harris implemented an anti-truancy initiative that fined and jailed parents of students who missed school regularly. She was also criticized by the Black Lives Matter movement after she refused to support an initiative that would force police officers to wear body cameras.
Harris was also opposed to the death penalty and promoted the “Back on Track” initiative, which gave drug offenders a chance to return to school. During her time as District Attorney, she created a Hate Crimes Unit that punished crimes against LGBTQ+ people in schools.
Throughout her campaign, Harris was criticized for failing to take a clear stance on major issues such as taxes, but voiced her support for gun control and Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All bill.
Harris’ popularity peaked after she made strong impressions at the first Democratic debates. In June, she criticized Joe Biden, the Democratic frontrunner, for working alongside segregationist Senators and opposing school busing in the 1970s. Harris also spoke openly about her own experiences of discrimination.
“Growing up, my sister and I had to deal with the neighbor who told us her parents couldn’t play with us because we were Black,” she said.
As a response to Harris’ departure, Democratic candidate Cory Booker said it was a ‘shame’ that there were now ‘more billionaires than Black people’ running for president.
The Democratic front runners are now Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg and Andrew Yang, according to The New York Times.