2 theories on why Kamala Harris dropped out now

Kamala Harris.
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

That Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) suspended her Democratic presidential campaign Tuesday wasn't entirely unexpected — she had plummeted in the polls and didn't look like she would be able to climb out of the hole. But the timing felt a bit sudden.

Harris had qualified for the December debate, and her campaign seemed determined to at least try to hang on until the Iowa caucus. So, why now?

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.