2020 Democrat presidential candidate John Delaney, who has struggled with low polling numbers despite being the first to announce candidacy in 2017, denied recent reports that senior staff members asked him to quit the race by mid-August, the Daily Caller reported.
Axios reporter Alexi McCammond reported Friday that top members of Delaney’s campaign asked him on July 9 to bow out of the race. The source said Delaney seemed open to leaving the race but wanted to participate in the July debates.
Delaney gave a statement denying the Friday report, including the possibility of him dropping out of the race and contesting other information McCammond reported about how much his campaign has spent.
“No one on my team asked me to drop out of the race and I have no plans to drop out of the race,” Delaney said.
Spending Questioned
McCammond’s article stated that Delaney had spent $19 million on the campaign so far, but Delaney said he had only spent $9 million. “Ms. McCammond is including a large interparty transfer in her calculations,” Delaney corrected.
“This easy to confirm error puts the accuracy of the whole story in perspective,” he added.
Delaney has reportedly visited all 99 counties in Iowa since entering the race in July 2017. Staff members worried that Delaney wouldn’t qualify for the September debates because his polling numbers were so low.
The former congressman from Maryland hasn’t been able to distinguish himself among the nearly 30 candidates now in the race for the 2020 Democrat nomination.
What Staff Are Saying
A senior staffer commented to Axios that Delaney didn’t get a “breakout moment” in the June debates, which has held his poll numbers down.
Other staff said he has changed his position on policies including the economy and racial issues, isn’t spending enough money to get a bump in the polls, and thought he might have a better chance at a cabinet position if he dropped out before September.
The only Democratic candidate to drop out so far has been Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA). Swalwell bowed out on July 8th. Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper’s staff also reportedly urged him to step down from the race in early July.
While it will be months until the primary race really starts to heat up, it’s starting to become apparent which candidates are unlikely to make it to the end of the competition.
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