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Lincoln Chafee Is Out of the 2016 Democratic Presidential Race

Chafee drops out, further thinning the 2016 Democratic field for Hillary Clinton.

GettyImages-493900470
GettyImages-493900470

Lincoln Chafee, the former governor of Rhode Island, accepted the inevitable limits of an outsider’s campaign Friday and dropped out of the 2016 Democratic presidential race amid non-existent poll numbers and nearly empty campaign coffers.

Lincoln Chafee, the former governor of Rhode Island, accepted the inevitable limits of an outsider’s campaign Friday and dropped out of the 2016 Democratic presidential race amid non-existent poll numbers and nearly empty campaign coffers.

Chafee, who came across as an afterthought during the Oct. 13 Democratic debate, is polling at zero percent in every major poll. According to Inside Gov, he’s raised just $408,201, a paltry amount compared to frontrunner former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has garnered more $100 million.

“As you know I have been campaigning on a platform of prosperity through peace,” Chafee said Friday at the Democratic National Committee’s annual Women’s Leadership Forum in Washington. “But after much thought, I have decided to end my campaign for president today. I would like to take this opportunity one last time to advocate for a chance be given to peace.”

Chafee is the second Democrat to leave the race this week. On Tuesday, former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb also stepped aside, although he is considering an independent bid.

But perhaps the most important development for Democrats this week is the news that Vice President Joe Biden won’t run for president. This removes what is likely the final obstacle to Clinton’s victory, as she is running far ahead of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley.

Photo Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

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