Failed Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke announced Friday that his presidential campaign has also failed.
O'Rourke took to Twitter to make his announcement, thanking his supporters and expressing his interest in helping the eventual Democratic nominee defeat President Donald Trump in 2020.
"I am grateful to all the people who made up the heart and soul of this campaign," O'Rourke tweeted. "You were among the hundreds of thousands who made a donation, signed up to volunteer or spread the word about this campaign and our opportunity to help decide the election of our lifetime."
The Texas Democrat, who had low poll numbers in the months leading up to his withdrawal, had attempted to attract support by releasing a gun confiscation plan and proposing to revoke the tax-exempt status of religious institutions that oppose same-sex marriage. But it did not help him in the polls.
I am grateful to all the people who made up the heart and soul of this campaign. You were among the hundreds of thousands who made a donation, signed up to volunteer or spread the word about this campaign and our opportunity to help decide the election of our lifetime.
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) November 1, 2019
Trump took to Twitter shortly after the announcement to highlight O’Rourke’s earlier comment that he was "born to be in" the run for president.
"Oh no, Beto just dropped out of race for President despite him saying he was 'born for this.' I don’t think so!" Trump wrote.
https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1190385966621569024?s=21
O'Rourke made a big splash when he entered the race in March, telling Vanity Fair his famous "born to be in it" line. It was mere months after O'Rourke lost his Senate race to Republican Ted Cruz (Texas).
'Man, I’m just born to be in it." Beto O’Rourke seemed to come from nowhere to the brink of a presidential candidacy—but he’s been on this journey for his whole life. O’Rourke spoke with Joe Hagan. Photographs by Annie Leibovitz. https://t.co/WhmQGZnbUg pic.twitter.com/a7DCoaZdtd
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) March 13, 2019
His initial fundraising numbers were impressive, and his poll position was better than most, but he soon lost momentum. His campaign had fallen on hard times when he reinvented himself as a left-wing candidate, trying in vain to attract progressive support with increasingly radical proposals.
O'Rourke pushed the remaining Democratic candidates to focus on the issues that "brought us together," including climate change and gun control.
We will work to ensure that the Democratic nominee is successful in defeating Donald Trump in 2020. I can tell you firsthand from having the chance to know the candidates, we will be well served by any one of them, and I’m going to be proud to support whoever she or he is.
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) November 1, 2019