3:12 PM PT -- Kamala Harris' sudden bowing-out from the 2020 race is getting sympathy from at least one of her former opponents thus far ... Mr. Julian Castro.
We ran into the Democratic presidential candidate in DTLA hours after Sen. Harris announced she was pulling the plug, and he tells us she's got a lot to be proud of -- 'cause he thinks she ran a great campaign. Besides that, he says they even got to bonding on the campaign trail over family and, specifically, being close to your siblings.
As you know ... Julian's got a twin brother, Rep. Joaquin Castro.
Anyway, we get to asking about billionaire Michael Bloomberg entering the race late with seemingly unlimited funds ... and whether that might start making others drop out early.
Check it out ... Julian's got a pretty telling answer as to who he thinks Americans want repping them on the biggest stage, and it ain't people made of just money. As for what he thinks might be next for Kamala -- he says she'll be just fine back in the U.S. Senate.
12:28 PM PT -- Harris just released a message to her supporters, saying her "campaign simply doesn't have the financial resources to continue."
It has been the honor of my life to be your candidate. We will keep up the fight. pic.twitter.com/RpZhx3PENl
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) December 3, 2019
Kamala Harris is no longer in the running for President of the United States -- she says she's bowing out 'cause the money ran out.
The California Senator made the announcement to her staff Tuesday and plans to release a video statement soon. She says the reason for the move -- which she calls "one of the hardest decisions of my life" -- is simple ... her campaign doesn't have the financial resources it needs to continue.
She adds that she's not a billionaire and can't fund her own campaign like some of the others, and it's become too hard to raise the money needed to compete.
The news comes on the heels of Harris canceling a high-profile fundraiser in New York for what was called a "personal matter." Sen. Harris dropping out also comes after recent polls showed she has dropped to sixth place in the Democratic primary ... even behind late entry Michael Bloomberg.
Her husband, Douglas Emhoff, tweeted a message of support as the news broke ... saying he's always got her back.
Senator Harris has had her share of highs and lows since announcing her 2020 presidential candidacy in January ... especially at the debates. A couple of her best moments include the most recent debate, when she declared "Donald Trump got punked" by North Korea.
And, back in the first debate in June, she famously went toe-to-toe with Joe Biden.
However, she also took some heat at an early debate for the way she treated fellow candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
Just to update your scorecards ... with Kamala's departure, there are still a whopping 15 candidates left.
Originally published -- 10:37 AM PT