WASHINGTON (JTA) — Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who drew strong support from Jewish progressives, has dropped her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Multiple media outlets reported Warren’s decision on Thursday in the wake of a disappointing primary campaign in which she failed to win a single state, including her own.
Warren competed with Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont to lead the progressive lane but Sanders, battle-hardened from his run in 2016, was stronger in organization and fundraising.
Still, Warren was a favorite among an array of Jewish progressives, who were attracted in part to her posture on Israel. She was critical of Israeli policies while also upholding the alliance, distinct in tone from Sanders’ more strident posture.
Hundreds of progressive Jews, including actor Josh Malina and Rep. Andy Levin, D-Mich., signed a letter of support last week for Warren’s flagging campaign. Her campaign also attracted key members of President Barack Obama’s Middle East policy team.
In a critical moment for Warren, the senator eviscerated former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg in a debate last month, depicting him as an unrepentant misogynist using his billions to buy his way into the race. The performance is widely believed to have mortally wounded Bloomberg’s campaign, and he also withdrew this week, essentially making it a two-candidate race between Sanders and the new front-runner, former vice president Joe Biden.
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