Beto O'Rourke ends his presidential bid after campaign failed to take off

DES MOINES, Iowa — Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke dropped out of the 2020 presidential race Friday after a disappointing campaign that failed to build off the momentum generated from his longshot Texas Senate run.

"Though today we are suspending this campaign, let us each continue our commitment to the country in whatever capacity we can," he wrote in an email to supporters. "Though it is difficult to accept, it is clear to me now that this campaign does not have the means to move forward successfully."

Lagging in the polls and with fundraising, O'Rourke had yet to qualify for the Nov. 20 Democratic debate sponsored by MSNBC and The Washington Post.