Kirsten Gillibrand’s $10 million campaign war chest dwindled to a fraction of that number before the New York Democratic senator ended her White House bid, Politico reported Thursday, citing campaign sources.
Gillibrand made a big push to stay on the debate stage in August, spending more than $1 million on advertisements and making stops on cable news. It didn’t work. She managed to obtain a single 2 percent poll showing, and worse, her campaign account plummeted to about $800,000, the report notes.
Gillibrand is the fourth candidate in two weeks to drop out of the Democratic primary as the crowded field continues to slowly narrow. Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton all recently concluded their campaigns.
Before ending her primary run, Gillibrand received push back from her own staffers. One former aide described the senator’s performance in the Democratic presidential debates as “performative and obnoxious,” media reports show. Others made similar arguments.
Another fundraiser suggested Gillibrand is showing little success in finding donations for her presidential aspirations because her supporters want to see her stay in the Senate. “It would be best if she decided that this was not her time” the person said, according to an Aug. 25 report from the New York Post.
Gillibrand’s office has not responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
