August 29, 2019
By Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
I wanted you to hear directly from me: After more than 8 incredible months, I am ending my campaign for president of the United States.
I know this isn’t the result that we wanted. We got into this race to win. But I think that it’s important to know when it’s not your time, and to know how you can best serve your community and country.
I believe I can best serve by helping unite our party—and our country—to beat Donald Trump and flip the Senate in 2020. So for the next 15 months, that’s what I’m going to throw all of my energy into.
First and foremost: I want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for everything that you’ve done with this campaign. Thank you for volunteering, donating, endorsing, and committing to caucus and vote with us. Thank you for sharing your stories with me. Thank you for inspiring me and joining me in this fight for our future.
I am so proud of this team and everything that we have achieved.
Together, we have built something historic. We’ve taken on the fights others wouldn’t. We’ve led the fights that we can’t afford to lose—and moved the entire field along with us.
We have put the civil rights of women front and center, and never backed down when it comes to valuing them. At a time when reproductive rights are at greater risk than ever, and when other leaders have been willing to make political deals on the backs of women, we’ve said loud and clear that women’s rights are nonnegotiable.
We have moved the needle on fighting for families and their economic security—bringing issues like paid family leave from the back-burner to the presidential debate. We’ve fought for the principle that America can’t succeed unless families do, and shown what a family-first policy agenda actually looks like.
We have shown this country a real plan to combat political corruption, so that we can truly break through Washington dysfunction and enact all of the progressive ideas we’ve been discussing in this primary. Only by taking on money in politics can we solve some of the biggest problems facing our children’s futures, like gun violence and global climate change.
And of course, we’ve had a lot of fun along the way—sledding in New Hampshire, dressing up with drag queens in Iowa, drinking local beers and whiskey, marching in parades, and a whole lot of dancing.
There is no team I’d rather do it with than this one.
I’ve met some of the bravest, most inspiring people all across this country, and I’m so proud of every person who’s raised their voice to fight for our values.
Our work isn’t done—not by a long shot. And we have a clear mission in front of us: We have to defeat President Trump, flip the Senate, and elect women up and down the ballot. It’s the only way we can repair our moral fabric and protect everything we care about.
I can’t wait to keep linking arms, marching, and fighting with you. And I know that together, we will win this fight—because I still believe that Brave Wins.
Thank you so much for everything.
See you soon,
Kirsten
