US Senator Cory Booker ends 2020 presidential bid

Democrat Senator Cory Booker on Monday announced that he had dropped out from the 2020 presidential bid, after failing to qualify for the Democratic debate planned for Iowa the next day.

According to CNN, Booker told his supporters in an email: "It was a difficult decision to make, but I got in this race to win, and I've always said I wouldn't continue if there was no longer a path to victory."

The New Jersey Democrat's announcement came a day before six presidential candidates will participate in the CNN/Des Moines Register's debate in Des Moines, Iowa. He did not qualify for the event.

"Our campaign has reached the point where we need more money to scale up and continue building a campaign that can win -- money we don't have, and money that is harder to raise because I won't be on the next debate stage and because the urgent business of impeachment will rightly be keeping me in Washington," the Senator wrote.

His announcement marks another departure of a high-profile black candidate from the 2020 race. After not making the December debate, Booker criticized the rules that kept him from qualifying for the event and was outspoken about the growing lack of diversity on stage.

Since launching his campaign last February, Booker struggled to raise the type of money required to support a White House bid. He was at the back of the pack in most surveys and failed to meet the polling requirements needed to participate in Tuesday's debate.

Booker also failed to qualify for last month's debate and exits the race polling in low single digits in the early primary states and nationwide.

In his email to supporters, Booker pledged to do everything in his power to "elect the eventual Democratic nominee for president." His campaign though says he has no immediate plans to endorse a candidate in the primary.

( With inputs from ANI )