Two-term Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York announced Wednesday that she is withdrawing from 2020 race for the presidency.
Gillibrand, 52, failed to qualify for a third debate next month.
A longtime advocate for the #MeToo movement told the New York Times she believes that "women have a unique ability to bring people together and heal this country." Adding that a woman nominee would be
Vocal in the Senate on curbing sexual harassment and promoting equal pay for women and family leave, Gillibrand made those and her staunch defense of abortion rights the core of her presidential bid. She stood out in the crowded field by becoming the first Democratic presidential hopeful to declare that she'd only appoint judges to the Supreme Court who consider the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide settled law, though most of her competitors quickly followed suit.
After forming an exploratory committee in January and formally entering the race by calling President Donald Trump a "coward" in a March speech delivered near the New York City skyscraper bearing his name, Gillibrand began with $10.5-plus million left over from her 2018 Senate campaign in her presidential campaign account.