Presidential candidate and billionaire Tom Steyer has ended his 2020 campaign after a third-place finish in South Carolina’s primary on Saturday night.
“I think we got one or two delegates from congressional districts, which I thank South Carolina for and the people,” Steyer said during his concession speech in Columbia, South Carolina. “But I said if I didn’t see a path to winning, that I’d suspend my campaign. And honestly, I can’t see a path where I can win the presidency.”
“I didn’t get into this race and start talking about things to try and get votes,” he also told his supporters. “I was in this race to talk about things that I cared the most about and that I continue to care the most about.”
At the time of writing, Steyer reached 11.49 percent of the vote with 74 percent of precincts reporting, according to the Associated Press. He came in third after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and primary winner Joe Biden, who trounced both Steyer and Sanders.
Having missed the 15 percent threshold, Steyer failed to win any statewide delegates. However, he may have crossed the 15 percent threshold in a few congressional districts, hence his comment about picking up “one or two delegates.”
Despite pouring millions into targeted ad campaigns, Steyer captured little ground in the race. His poll numbers stayed consistently below ten percent, with the one exception being South Carolina.
Prior to joining the race, Steyer had been a major donor to the Democratic Party. In fact, he used his considerable means to launch a TV ad blitz calling for President Donald Trump’s impeachment long before Democratic leadership supported impeachment proceedings.
