One less candidate for the Democratic primary: Senator Cory Booker abandoned Monday, January 13, the run for the American presidency, three weeks before the first vote in primary, in the state of Iowa.
"It is with a heavy heart that I share this news: I made the decision to suspend my presidential campaign"wrote Mr. Booker to his supporters.
"Our campaign has come to the point where we need more money to grow and continue to build a team with which we can earn – money we don't have and money that would have been more difficult to harvest because I will not be on the next debate plateau (Tuesday evening). "
Trump tribute and irony
Cory Booker also mentions Donald Trump’s impeachment trial over the next few days in the Senate, which would have prevented him from campaigning in Iowa before the much-anticipated February 3 vote. The senators will indeed be jurors during this trial and the "Urgent issue of removal will keep me rightly in Washington".
Despite a strong network of volunteers in the first states to vote for the primary, as well as a sense of rhetoric praised by many political observers, the senator stagnated around 2% in voting intentions nationwide.
Many of the twelve candidates still in the running for the Democratic primary paid homage Monday, with emotional messages, to this talkative personality, warm and respectful of his rivals.
These comments fueled speculation that some of the candidates might eventually want to make Cory Booker their running mate to occupy the position of vice president if they win against Donald Trump.
"Almost a year ago, I entered the presidential race because I deeply believed (…) that the answer to hatred and division of Donald Trump was to revive the spirit of a common cause to confront our biggest challenges and building a fairer country for all "continued Booker in his message.
Mr. Trump marked his departure with a contemptuous and ironic Tweet: "Very big last-minute information (I'm kidding): Booker, who was around zero in the polls, has just given up. I was so worried that I would have to face him one day in a duel. "
More than one black candidate in primary
A progressive candidate on many subjects, an ardent defender of a stricter framework for the sale of firearms, Cory Booker appeared as a unifier. Recalling that he still lived in a difficult neighborhood in New Jersey, he said he was particularly sensitive to the daily difficulties of Americans. But in a deeply divided America, his optimistic message failed to break through.
While the race had started with an unprecedented diversity, the six candidates selected for the democratic debate on Tuesday evening are, for the first time, all white.
These are the top five candidates in the national polls – former Vice President Joe Biden, independent senator Bernie Sanders, progressive senator Elizabeth Warren, former mayor of South Bend (Indiana) Pete Buttigieg and the moderate senator Amy Klobuchar – as well as billionaire Tom Steyer.
Only one black candidate remains: ex-governor Deval Patrick, who is struggling to take off from scratch in the polls. Citing as Cory Booker his difficulties in raising funds, the black senator Kamala Harris, who for a time came in second place in the polls, had left the Democratic primary in December.
The Asian American and businessman Andrew Yang and the elected Tulsi Gabbard, native of the Samoa islands and first Hindu person to be elected to the American Congress, are around 3.5% and 2% respectively, but do not did not manage to be selected for debate this time.
