Article snippet: Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) announced Friday that he would drop out of the presidential race, ending what was once thought to be a potential leading 2020 Democratic bid that failed to garner the same enthusiasm that surrounded his Senate campaign last year. O'Rourke said in a post on the website Medium that it had become clear he did not have the means to keep his campaign afloat, an acknowledgement of the financial struggles the former Texas congressman has faced in recent months. "My service to the country will not be as a candidate or as the nominee. Acknowledging this now is in the best interests of those in the campaign; it is in the best interests of this party as we seek to unify around a nominee; and it is in the best interests of the country," he wrote. O'Rourke sought to tout his influence on the Democratic race Friday evening while speaking to about 200 supporters huddled in a park alongside the Des Moines River in Iowa, where he was slated to appear at the state party's Liberty and Justice Dinner. “We have to clearly see at this point that we do not have the means to continue this campaign successfully,” O’Rourke told supporters, many of whom were seen hugging and crying. O'Rourke maintained that his White House bid had influenced others still in the race by calling for stricter gun control laws, a more robust approach to taking on climate change and an effort to campaign in cities across the country that are usually overlooked by presidential... Link to the full article to read more