--- title: Eric Swalwell Drops Out of the 2020 Presidential Race description: He is the first serious candidate to drop out of the Democratic primary. canonical: https://time.com/5622071/eric-swalwell-2020-campaign/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-07-08T16:47:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-12T22:40:44.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Eric Swalwell Drops Out of the 2020 Presidential Race og:description: He is the first serious candidate to drop out of the Democratic primary og:url: https://time.com/5622071/eric-swalwell-2020-campaign/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltffddb1b351c896bf/6989ff50457a5296dfd626f6/dem-debate-june27-12.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2400 og:image:height: 1350 og:image:alt: US-VOTE-2020-DEMOCRATS-DEBATE og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Eric Swalwell Drops Out of the 2020 Presidential Race twitter:description: He is the first serious candidate to drop out of the Democratic primary twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltffddb1b351c896bf/6989ff50457a5296dfd626f6/dem-debate-june27-12.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Eric Swalwell Drops Out of the 2020 Presidential Race > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=13bf6e04-8137-4e66-83e0-f9a534bba795&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Meet the Democratic Candidates Running for President in 2020 [Watch (HLS stream): Meet the Democratic Candidates Running for President in 2020](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/EcGVhn6h.m3u8) (1:17)  _Published 2019-01-18. Meet the Democratic Candidates Running for President in 2020_ by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/) and [Lissandra Villa](https://time.com/author/lissandra-villa/) Updated: Dec 12, 2023 10:40 PM UTCPublished: Jul 8, 2019 4:47 PM UTC Meet the Democratic Candidates Running for President in 2020 by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/) and [Lissandra Villa](https://time.com/author/lissandra-villa/) Updated: Dec 12, 2023 10:40 PM UTCPublished: Jul 8, 2019 4:47 PM UTC California Rep. Eric Swalwell became the [first serious presidential candidate](https://time.com/5460620/2020-presidential-candidates/) to drop from the Democratic primary on Monday. “Today ends our presidential campaign,” he said at a press conference Monday afternoon. The 37-year-old Congressman launched his campaign this past April. He has been anointed a rising star in the House of Representatives, where he has been mentored by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But his presidential campaign had been floundering; although he qualified for the [first Democratic debate](https://time.com/5608626/first-2020-democratic-debate-latest-news/) last month, his polling placed him in the bottom tier of candidates. During his tenure in Congress, Swalwell became best-known for his omnipresent cable news appearances. In addition to serving on the House judiciary and intelligence committees, he took gun violence as his signature issue during his presidential run. At the press conference, Swalwell said he wanted to be honest about his odds of winning. “If there was a viable chance, I would not be standing here today,” he said. Most recently, he took up the “pass the torch” mantle at the first Democratic primary debate, calling for the presidential nominee to reflect generational change within the party. “We can’t be a forward looking party if we look to the past for our leadership,” Swalwell [said at the debates](https://time.com/5616884/2020-democratic-debate-night-two-analysis/), aiming his comments largely at former Vice President Joe Biden. He said that he does not yet know who he will endorse in the primary, making a joke about one of the star players on the U.S. women’s soccer team. “If Megan Rapinoe gets in the race, I’m probably going to endorse her,” he said. Former West Virginia state Sen. Richard Ojeda [dropped out of the 2020 primary](https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/25/politics/ojeda-ends-2020-campaign/index.html) in January, just weeks after he launched his campaign. ## Transcript Democrats are lining up to run against Donald Trump. [ MUSIC ] With the 2020 election still a ways away, an unusually large number of candidates have announced they are running or hinted strongly that they will. Here's a look at some of the major names who have joined the race so far. [ MUSIC ] As a law professor, Warren helped create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Before joining the Senate in 2012. She's long advocated for tougher rules on banks and corporations and pocketbook issues like student loan reform. A former member of the House from upstate New York, Gillibrand has moved to the left since taking Hillary Clinton's old Senate seat in 2009. In announcing her run, she cited her experience as a young mom. A former state legislator and US representative, Brown has represented Ohio in the Senate since 2006. He will be pushing a brand of Midwestern liberalism that mixes Trump's skepticism of trade agreements with Warren's concerns about Wall Street. An Iraq veteran and former state lawmaker, Gabbard was the first Hindu elected to Congress. But her past opposition to gay marriage and interactions with Syrian dictator Bashar al- Assad make her a long shot in the Democratic primary. [ MUSIC ] The former mayor of San Antonio and Housing and Urban Development secretary, Castro has an unusual resume for a presidential candidate. But he believes his arguments on hot- button issues like immigration can help him break out. 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