The Culling Continues: Buttigieg Out

Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg announced a short time ago that he is ending his run for the Democratic nomination after receiving a lower percentage of votes in successive contests. His distant fourth place finish in the South Carolina primary appears to have been the deciding factor. With Super Tuesday voting less than 48 hours away, Buttigieg remains on ballots, but his supporters will likely divide up among the "non-Sanders" candidates.

With former VP Joe Biden's landslide win in South Carolina's more diverse Dem electorate, the path to the Dem nomination had grown increasingly narrow for Buttigieg, who had trouble getting traction with minority voters. It remains to be seen if and how long the other moderate progressive Midwest candidate, Sen. Amy Klobachar, will stay in the nomination race.