Kirsten Gillibrand drops out of 2020 presidential race

WASHINGTON (AP) – Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand says she’s dropping out of 2020 presidential race amid low polling, fundraising struggles.

The 52-year-old New York senator announced her decision Wednesday on Twitter as her campaign, which once looked to ride strong #MeToo credentials, was plagued by low polling and fundraising struggles. She had failed to meet thresholds for required numbers of donors and polling to qualify for the September debate in Houston.

Gillibrand was appointed to the Senate in 2009 to fill the seat vacated by Hillary Clinton. She was vocal on curbing sexual harassment and promoting equal pay for women and family leave, making those and defending abortion rights the core of her presidential bid.

But Gillibrand also was the first Senate Democrat to call for Minnesota Sen. Al Franken’s resignation and says that alienated donors and some voters.

Earlier this month, the senator from New York introduced a bill that would provide immigrants with an attorney as they seek asylum or other legal protections in the US as the Trump administration has been dramatically limiting the ability of Central American migrants to claim asylum, according to CNN.

She accused the Trump administration of being “far too willing to fast-track deportation cases even when people have credible claims to asylum.”

The candidate had hoped her campaign would get its time in the spotlight, telling CNN in May, “I need to earn my moment and it will be in the future, which will be just fine by me.”