Elizabeth Warren ends presidential bid, leaving Biden, Sanders in fight

Cambridge, Massachusetts: Elizabeth Warren ended her presidential campaign on Thursday, bowing to the reality that the race for the Democratic nomination has become a two-way battle between former vice-president Joe Biden and US Senator Bernie Sanders.

Speaking to reporters Thursday outside her home, Warren said she would likely endorse Biden or Sanders, but “not today”.

“I need some space and I need a little time right now,” she said, standing next to her husband, Bruce Mann, and golden retriever, Bailey.

Warren’s voice cracked when she talked about meeting so many little girls while campaigning around the country for the past year and knowing they “are going to have to wait four more years”, at least, to see a woman in the White House.

Warren, a liberal senator who won plaudits for her command of policy details, finished well behind the two front-runners on Tuesday in 14 states, including her home state of Massachusetts, leaving her path to the nomination virtually non-existent.

Warren added: “I have no regrets at all. This has been the honour of a lifetime.”

Her exit makes the contest a two-man race between Biden and Sanders.

Warren’s relationship with Sanders may have been strained in January, when she accused him of calling her a liar on national television after he denied telling her in 2018 that a woman could not beat Republican President Donald Trump.

Warren swore off big donors when she launched her run and raised more than $112 million from grassroots contributions.

She vowed to continue fighting for ordinary Americans and touted the impact the campaign has already had, bringing attention to ideas such as a wealth tax and proving that candidates do not need high-dollar fund-raisers to succeed.

US Representative Tulsi Gabbard remains in the race, but has repeatedly failed to win even 1 per cent of the vote in primaries.

Meanwhile, Biden and Sanders continued to step up attacks on each other following Biden’s unexpectedly strong performance on Super Tuesday earlier this week.

The back-and-forth between the two contenders signaled a bruising battle to come as the race turns next to six states stretching from Mississippi to Washington state, which vote on March 10.

Sanders blamed the “establishment” and corporate interests for his losses in 10 of the 14 states that voted on Tuesday, a charge Biden called “ridiculous”.

“You got beaten by overwhelming support I have from the African-American community, Bernie,” Biden told NBC’s Today show on Thursday. “You got beaten because of suburban women, Bernie. You got beaten because of the middle-class, hardworking folks out there, Bernie.”

Biden received more support from black voters and women, particularly in suburban areas, exit polls found. Those two groups make up a substantial part of the Democratic electorate and were credited with delivering the party big wins during the 2018 midterm congressional elections.

Biden also pointed out that Sanders has raised more campaign cash, responding to criticism that his moderate rival is collecting money from corporate interests. Aside from candidates who have self-funded their campaigns, Sanders has boasted the largest cash hauls during this election. At the end of January, Sanders had raised $134 million while Biden raised $70 million.

Like Warren, Sanders has refused to hold fundraisers and instead relies on online donations. Biden, who has seen his online giving spike in recent days, regularly holds high-dollar fundraising events.

In addition to Mississippi and Washington state, voters in Michigan, Missouri, and Idaho on Tuesday. North Dakota will hold caucuses.