“It’s a Sad Day:” Iowa Supporters Recall ’Spark’ of Beto O'Rourke's Candidacy

“It’s kind of a sad day because it’s this spark that kind of ignited something in us as a family.”

Tracy Taylor of Sioux City, Iowa, recalls how Beto O'Rourke inspired her to "engage in the political process.”

Beto O’Rourke’s presidential run is over. The former Texas congressman said Friday he was ending his bid for the White House amid lackluster fundraising and poor poll numbers.

“Though it is difficult to accept, it is clear to me now that this campaign does not have the means to move forward successfully,” O’Rourke said in a blog post.

He did not directly address whether he might run for the Senate from Texas, but said, “I am announcing that my service to the country will not be as a candidate or as the nominee.”

O’Rourke’s campaign got off to a much-publicized start with a Vanity Fair magazine cover calling him “born to be in it” and as he raked in $9.4 million in the first quarter. It quickly sputtered: He raised less than half of that in the third quarter. Poll numbers that started at 10% in April were about 2% as of Friday.

President Donald Trump responded to the announcement with a mocking tweet: “Oh no, Beto just dropped out of race for President despite him saying he was “born for this.” I don’t think so!”

A mass shooting in August in his hometown of El Paso, Texas, killed 22 people and marked a turning point in his campaign. He left the trail and headed home, skipping the Iowa State Fair.

But even before the shooting, O’Rourke’s campaign was in trouble. In the most diverse presidential field ever, he stood out as a straight white male candidate. He had just lost a Senate bid and jumped into the race stating he was born to run, which gave him an aura of privilege that he spent the remaining months apologizing for. Early comments he made about on his wife staying at home to watch the kids while he ran and shifting stances on key issues like Medicare for All didn’t help.

As a representative, O’Rourke, 47, was moderate but he began to embrace more progressive policies as the presidential race went on. By that time though he found himself competing with South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg for the same pool of voters.

Before his ill fated run for Ted Cruz’s Senate seat, O’Rourke, served in the House of Representatives since 2013.