Beto O’Rourke drops out of US presidential race

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - Former Texas Democrat congressman Beto O'Rourke said Friday he would end his bid to challenge incumbent Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential race.

In a post on the Medium website, O'Rourke said he decided to run for president so he could unite "a divided country" to confront the "greatest set of challenges" faced by the U.S.

"Though it is difficult to accept, it is clear to me now that this campaign does not have the means to move forward successfully," said O'Rourke. "My service to the country will not be as a candidate or as the nominee."

O'Rourke launched a long-shot bid to unseat Texas Senator Ted Cruz in 2018 and lost just narrowly. But in campaigning for the seat, O'Rourke propelled himself into the national spotlight and gained a strong following among Democrats.

He said he would work to ensure that the Democratic nominee is successful in defeating Trump.

"I’m going to be proud to support whoever that nominee is," he said. "We must support them in the race against Donald Trump and support them in their administration afterwards."

Shortly after his exit from the race, Trump took aim at O'Rourke on Twitter.

"Oh no, Beto just dropped out of race for President despite him saying he was 'born for this.' I don’t think so!" Trump tweeted.