Democratic race: Elizabeth Warren quits but won’t say who she will endorse

Elizabeth Warren’s departure was expected, but she hasn’t yet endorsed Bernie Sanders.

Elizabeth Warren announces her decision to withdraw from the contest for the Democratic nomination in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Friday. Picture: Reuters

Elizabeth Warren has quit the presidential race, leaving Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders to fight it out for the Democratic nomination to challenge US President Donald Trump.

Senator Warren on Friday AEDT declined to give her ­endorsement to either candidate, saying she would take her time to think about who to support.

Her departure comes after poor performances in the primaries, ­including on Super Tuesday, which left the Massachusetts senator with no viable path to win the nomination.

Her withdrawal is considered a boost for Senator Sanders as she is a fellow liberal and her supporters are considered more likely to gravitate to Senator Sanders, a democratic socialist, than to Mr Biden, a moderate.

Despite this, Senator Warren she said would take her time to ­decide who to endorse.

“I need some space around this and want to take a little time to think a little more,” she said as she announced her withdrawal in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Any decision by the liberal Senator Warren to endorse a moderate in Mr Biden rather than the left-wing Senator Sanders would be seen as a major blow to the hopes of the 78-year-old senator from Vermont.

Senator Warren said while she was quitting the race, she would still fight for those for whom she had advocated.

“I will not be running for president in 2020, but I guarantee I will stay in the fight for the hardworking folks across this country who have gotten the short end of the stick over and over,” she said.

“I have to think a lot about where is the best place for me to go to keep fighting those fights. My job is to fight them as smartly and effectively as I can.”

The 70-year-old senator was expected to drop out after a disastrous result on Super Tuesday in which she failed to win any of the 14 states and came third in her home state of Massachusetts.

Elizabeth Warren, with her husband Bruce Mann, and dog Bailey in front, leave her home before speaking to the media. Picture: AP.

This followed poor performances in the Democrat contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, where her highest placed finish was third.

Mr Trump attacked Senator Warren, accusing her of potentially costing Senator Sanders the nomination by taking liberal votes away from him on Super Tuesday.

“Elizabeth ‘Pocahontas’ Warren, who was going nowhere ­except into Mini Mike’s head, just dropped out of the Democrat Primary … THREE DAYS TOO LATE,” he tweeted. “She cost Crazy Bernie, at least, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Texas. Probably cost him the nomination! Came in third in Mass.”

The departure of Senator Warren caps off a long slide in her campaign in recent months. Late in 2019, polls showed her leading the field during campaigning for the Iowa caucus.

However, her star started to fade after she ­responded to fears about her sweeping Medicare-for-All policy by promising to delay its ­implementation if elected.

That decision saw her criticised by both liberal and moderates, and her poll numbers began to fall.

Senator Warren reacts to a supporter before announcing she would quit the Democratic race. Picture: AFP.

“You know, I was told at the beginning of this whole undertaking that there are two lanes — a progressive lane that Bernie Sanders is the incumbent for, and a moderate lane that Joe Biden is the incumbent for, and there’s no room for anyone else in this,” Senator Warren said.

“I thought that wasn’t right, but evidently I was wrong.”

She was a policy-wonk who would often start a sentence with “I have a plan for that”. Much of her stump speech focused on the need to end corruption in Washington, the need for a wealth tax, universal childcare and a greater focus on the bread-and-butter ­issues of working Americans.

Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren, who was going nowhere except into Mini Mike’s head, just dropped out of the Democrat Primary...THREE DAYS TOO LATE. She cost Crazy Bernie, at least, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Texas. Probably cost him the nomination! Came in third in Mass.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 5, 2020

Mr Biden is the frontrunner in the race following a strong performance on Super Tuesday and a landslide victory a few days earlier in South Carolina.

Meanwhile, billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who also dropped out of the race this week, has formed an independent group to work in six swing states to help elect the Democratic nominee. The group will have potentially unlimited funding from the billionaire to try to defeat Mr Trump. Mr Bloomberg is also expected to use his wealth to fund Mr Biden’s campaign against Senator Sanders.

Cameron Stewart is also US contributor for Sky News Australia