NASHUA – On April 12, Democratic presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Beto O’Rourke each rated at 9% in the Real Clear Politics national polling average, while Elizabeth Warren was at less than 6%.

Friday, O’Rourke dropped out of the race entirely, while Harris closed her New Hampshire campaign in an effort to focus her remaining resources on Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada.

Warren, meanwhile, is now second in the RCP national average at 21%.

“I am announcing that my service to the country will not be as a candidate or as the nominee,” O’Rourke stated via Twitter.

“I am grateful to all the people who made up the heart and soul of this campaign. You were among the hundreds of thousands who made a donation, signed up to volunteer or spread the word about this campaign and our opportunity to help decide the election of our lifetime,” O’Rourke added.

O’Rourke is a former U.S. House member who represented a district in western Texas, including the city of El Paso. He rose to national fame with Democrats by nearly defeating conservative Republican Ted Cruz in a 2018 U.S. Senate race.

Upon announcing his presidential candidacy early this, O’Rourke drew plenty of fanfare. His initial appearances in New Hampshire drew large crowds, including a rally at Nashua Community College.

Still, O’Rourke seemed to fade as a candidate as the year progressed, as he was unable to gain traction in the large field. He also struggled to find a true issue on which to campaign.

During the Sept. 7 New Hampshire Democratic Party Convention, O’Rourke promised he would confiscate all AR-15 and AK-47 rifles – and “sign into law a reparations bill.”

Nevertheless, his poll numbers and fundraising totals did not sufficiently improve.

“Thank you for making this campaign possible, and for continuing to believe that we can turn this moment of great peril into a moment of great promise for America and the world,” O’Rourke added via Twitter on Friday. “We will work to ensure that the Democratic nominee is successful in defeating Donald Trump in 2020. I can tell you firsthand from having the chance to know the candidates, we will be well served by any one of them, and I’m going to be proud to support whoever she or he is.”

As for Harris, she began 2019 as one of the clear Democratic favorites for 2020. She even surged to second place in both New Hampshire and national polls after the June debate, during which she questioned former Vice President Joe Biden regarding his voting record on the issue of public school busing.

However, Harris performed badly in the July debate, as she failed to defend her record as a California prosecutor when questioned by Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. Harris has been on a steady decline in both poll numbers and fundraising totals ever since.

“If we want to win, we need to go all-in on Iowa–but we need a surge of grassroots support to make this work,” Harris tweeted on Friday after deciding to forgo her New Hampshire operations.

New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary is currently scheduled for Feb. 11, although Secretary of State Bill Gardner reserves the right to change the date if he sees a reason to do so.

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