Kirsten Gillibrand Is the First Woman to Drop Out of the Democratic Presidential Race
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) has announced that she’s dropping out from the race for president, becoming the first woman in a diverse field to exit the crowded Democratic primary. As the New York Times reported, she decided to withdraw after she failed to qualify for the third Democratic debate.
The move is a blow to some women; Gillibrand was a vocal champion of the Me Too movement and has centered issues of sexual assault both in her Senate career and in this campaign.
In an official statement Gillibrand wrote, “Today, I am ending my campaign for president. I am so proud of this team and all we’ve accomplished. But I think it’s important to know how you can best serve. To our supporters: Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Now, let’s go beat Donald Trump and win back the Senate.”
She also spoke with New York Times. In the interview she shared that while she plans to endorse another candidate, she hasn’t picked a favorite. However, she did hint that she would like to see a woman clinch the nomination. “I think that women have a unique ability to bring people together and heal this country,” Gillibrand told the Times before adding, “I think a woman nominee would be inspiring and exciting.” Still, she was clear: “I will support whoever the nominee is, and I will do whatever it takes to beat Trump.”
Gillibrand first announced that she was running for president in January 2018 while appearing on the Late Show With Stephen Colbert. During the segment she said, “I’m going to run for president of the United States because as a young mom, I’m going to fight for other people’s kids as hard as I fight for my own.” And family remained at the center of her campaign. But she also faced criticism for being the first Democratic senator to ask then Senator Al Franken to step down after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct.
While she hasn’t made an official announcement on her post-campaign plans, Gillibrand also told the Times that she would, “absolutely consider anything that was asked of me, because my goal is to serve.”
As of now, ten of the Democratic candidates have qualified for the next debate, and three of them are women. Those female hopefuls include Senator Amy Klobuchar (D–Minn.), Senator Kamala Harris (D–Calif.), and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D–Mass.).