Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey dropped out of the Democratic presidential race Monday, ending a nearly yearlong quest built around a message of peace and unity that failed to resonate with voters eager for a more aggressive posture against President Donald Trump.
The departure of Booker from the crowded Democratic field, heralded at the outset as the most diverse in history, leaves just one African American candidate, Deval Patrick, vying for the Democratic nomination in a party in which black voters are an essential bloc of the Democratic base.
The decision came after Booker, who never cracked the top tier of Democratic contenders and consistently polled in the low single digits, fell short of qualifying for a second consecutive debate stage, a setback the Booker campaign conceded in the past few weeks would likely doom their underdog candidacy at a time when the Democratic race for president is being overshadowed by an impeachment trial in Washington and a growing conflict in Iran.