Democrat Pete Buttigieg is ending his campaign for president.
Three people with knowledge of Buttigieg’s decision tell The Associated Press he is informing campaign staff. They were not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.
His campaign says Buttigieg will speak Sunday night in South Bend, Indiana.
Buttigieg rose to the field's top tier but failed to notch enough wins in the critical early states necessary to keep his bid moving forward.
The millennial, Afghan War veteran and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, defied expectations in a field of better-known candidates for months while becoming the first openly gay top contender for a major party nomination.
“Mayor Pete” burst onto the scene with a blitz of national media a year ago and impressive fundraising. He leaned hard into a next-generation message of urgency on pressing issues while preaching a message of hope and inclusion.
With a government shutdown five days away, Congress is moving into crisis mode as Speaker Kevin McCarthy faces an insurgency from hard-right Republicans eager to slash spending even if it means curtailing federal services for millions of Americans.
Rep. Andy Kim of New Jersey announced on Saturday that he will run against Sen. Robert Menendez in the state’s Democratic primary for Senate next year, saying he feels compelled to run against the three-term senator after he and his wife were indicted on sweeping corruption charges.
