‘I need some space’: Elizabeth Warren says she won’t immediately endorse anyone as she quits Democratic race

Decision to drop out made after a dismal finish on Super Tuesday

Elizabeth Warren has officially announced she will be dropping out of the 2020 Democratic presidential race, but refused to endorse either Bernie Sanders or Joe Biden right now for the nomination.

“I will not be running for president in 2020 but I guarantee I will stay in the fight for the hardworking people across this country who’ve gotten the short end of the stick,” she told reporters on Thursday outside her Cambridge, Massachusetts, home.

Her husband, Bruce Mann, stood behind the Massachusetts senator as she made her official announcement.

But when asked about if she would now offer up her endorsement to another candidate, Ms Warren did not indicate her future intentions.

“I need some space,” she said about the endorsement.

There will be no endorsement today, she said, but Ms Warren also did not close the door on potentially lending her support to Mr Biden or Mr Sanders.

During her short announcement, Ms Warren was candid about what she thought went wrong with her race. She believed, in part, the idea of only “two lanes” being open to voters was a problem.

“I was told at the beginning of this whole undertaking that there are two lanes, a progressive lane that Bernie Sanders is the incumbent for and a moderate lane that Joe Biden is the incumbent for and there’s no room for anyone else in this,” she said.

“I felt that wasn’t right, but evidently I was wrong.”

Ms Warren entered the race in February 2019 and made history as one of six female candidates up for nomination for president. Leaning on her progressive views, she took an early lead as one of the top candidates for the Democratic Party.

But her support started to slip when the former candidate was unable to distinguish herself successfully enough from Mr Sanders to drum up support from progressive voters.

The senator then saw her path to the nomination dwindle after the Iowa caucus, where she placed third. New Hampshire and Nevada followed closely behind, and Ms Warren dropped down to fourth. In South Carolina, she came in fifth.

On Super Tuesday, Ms Warren was only able to pick up 35 delegates to join the 30 she already had, making it hard for her to compete against the two frontrunners.

Ms Warren was asked if she thought sexism played into American politics to this day.

“Gender in this race, that is the trap question for everyone,” the now former presidential contender said. “If you say, ‘Yeah, there was sexism in this race,’ everyone says, ‘Whiner’ ... I promise you this, I will have a lot more to say on that subject later on.”

If Ms Warren was to endorse anyone in the election, it would likely be Mr Sanders as they both sit on the more progressive side of the party. But in recent months, the senator has been more outspoken against her colleague to distinguish herself away from his own policies.

Endorsing the more moderate candidate, Mr Biden, remains unlikely.

“I respect his years of service,” she said on Monday night during a rally in Los Angeles about Mr Biden. “But no matter how many Washington insiders tell you to support him, nominating their fellow Washington insider will not meet this moment.”

She added Mr Biden wanted to “restore the world before Donald Trump”.

The former vice president tweeted out his support for Ms Warren on Thursday after she dropped out of the race.

“Senator @EWarren is the fiercest of fighters for middle class families. Her work in Washington, in Massachusetts, and on the campaign trail has made a real difference in people’s lives. We needed her voice in this race, and we need her continued work in the Senate,” he wrote.

On Thursday, Mr Sanders also offered up glowing remarks about the senator following the news.

“The reason her campaign ideals will remain viable for many, many years is she has changed political consciousness in America, which at the end of the day is the most important thing that any candidate could do,” he told reporters.

The future of Ms Warren’s political career remains uncertain, depending on if she wants to remain in her Massachusetts senator seat or attempt to move into a position within someone’s administration.