Democrat Beto O'Rourke quits 2020 White House race

Democrat Beto O'Rourke announced Friday he is dropping out of the crowded race for the 2020 US presidential nomination, after months of stagnant polling numbers and dwindling finances.

"Though it is difficult to accept, it is clear to me now that this campaign does not have the means to move forward successfully," the former congressman said in a statement. "My service to the country will not be as a candidate or as the nominee."

The charismatic 47-year-old Texan entered the contest with considerable buzz after narrowly losing a US Senate bid to Republican incumbent Ted Cruz in 2018, a race that saw him raise staggering amounts of campaign donations.

When he launched his presidential bid in March, O'Rourke was viewed as one of the 2020 frontrunners, but on the national stage he failed to re-ignite the enthusiasm that had propelled him to rockstar status in his Senate race in Texas.

Polling at about two percent in recent months -- far behind frontrunners Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders -- his performance rarely moved the needle.

O'Rourke's campaign team ruled out another Senate run, at least for now.

"Beto will not be a candidate for US Senate in Texas in 2020,"...