Seth Moulton Is Ending His Campaign For President

The Massachusetts Democrat is the second candidate to drop out of the primary this week.

Rep. Seth Moulton is announcing he is dropping out of the presidential race in a speech to a Democratic National Committee meeting Friday.

"Though this campaign is not ending the way we hoped, I am leaving this race knowing that we raised issues that are vitally important to the American people and our future," he will say in California. He plans to run for reelection to Congress.

After months with roughly two dozen Democrats running for president, the candidate field is beginning to shrink. Moulton is the second Democrat to end his campaign this week, after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee dropped out Wednesday to instead run for reelection as governor. John Hickenlooper, the former governor of Colorado, ended his primary campaign earlier this month and is now running for Senate.

Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat, rose to some prominence in politics for recruiting other Afghanistan and Iraq War veterans to run for Congress over the last few elections. From Washington, he's advocated for new leadership on Capitol Hill, including an ill-fated attempt to remove House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after the Democrats' resounding 2018 victories.

Moulton pitched his bid as foreign policy focused and driven by the leadership of a new generation of military veterans. (Like candidates Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Moulton served overseas, though he commanded troops in combat.)

But he struggled to raise money and gain traction throughout his campaign. He did not qualify for any of the debates.

There are still 21 candidates in the primary.

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