Kamala Harris ends her presidential bid

Kamala Harris is ending her presidential bid and suspending her campaign. In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Harris explained she did not have enough funding to continue her run for the White House. Calling it “one of the hardest decisions of my life,” and one she had made over the last few days, Harris said, “My campaign for president simply doesn’t have the financial resources we need to continue.”

“I’m not a billionaire. I can’t fund my own campaign,” she said. “And as the campaign has gone on, it’s become harder and harder to raise the money we need to compete.”

She continued, “In good faith, I can’t tell you, my supporters and volunteers, that I have a path forward if I don’t believe I do. So, to you my supporters, it is with deep regret — but also with deep gratitude — that I am suspending my campaign today.”

In recent days, there has been some turmoil in her campaign, as her team of professional consultants, mostly from California, clashed with a faction represented by Harris’ sister, Maya Harris, about how the campaign should proceed. Maya Harris, a Democratic activist who also worked for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, has been at her sister’s side for the duration of the campaign, serving as a top adviser.

Harris, the third candidate in 48 hours to announce the end of her campaign, informed her staff Tuesday of her decision to suspend her campaign. She is expected to post a video announcement soon.

Primary opponent Joe Biden responded to the news of her departure from the race by calling her a “first-rate intellect,” a “first-rate candidate, and “a solid, solid person” who is “loaded with talent.”

Without Harris, Steve Bullock and Joe Sestak, the Democratic primary field now shrinks to 15 candidates.

In early November, Harris cut all of her field organizers in New Hampshire and shuttered her field offices there in order to focus her efforts in Iowa. At the time, she told CBS News she was “all in” on winning the Iowa caucuses and predicted she would “do very well” in the first contest of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. Before the November debate, Harris had 131 staffers and 17 field offices in the state, and had spent 45 days in Iowa, and she had even spent Thanksgiving in Iowa with her family.

Harris’ husband tweeted a note of support for his wife.

I’ve got you. As always.❤️ pic.twitter.com/5OJDT3cDfw

— Doug Emhoff (@DouglasEmhoff) December 3, 2019