WASHINGTON — It was a “pinky promise” that Senator Elizabeth Warren would make with little girls in her “selfie” line: “I’m running for president because that’s what girls do,” she would say, squatting down and locking fingers so they remembered it.
As Warren stood outside her Cambridge home Thursday to announce she was dropping out of the 2020 race, her thoughts turned to those moments when asked about having only two white men — former vice president Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders — left as the main Democratic candidates.
“One of the hardest parts of this is all those pinky promises and all those little girls who are going to have to wait four more years,” she said, her voice catching a bit. “That’s going to be hard.”
It’s not just those little girls who will have to wait.
For women across the country who hoped to see Warren — or any qualified woman — become the first female president, the news of her departure from the race was yet another disappointment mixed with heartache, and anger. The Democratic nomination process started with six diverse female candidates, including Warren and three other senators, after the 2018 congressional midterm elections saw women and people of color make historic gains.
But now, only one woman remains: Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard, who has earned just two delegates and never broke into the top tier of contenders.
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