Amy Klobuchar, a Midwestern moderate, will end her underdog presidential campaign and endorse Joe Biden, her team has said, on the eve of the biggest voting day in the Democratic nomination race.
"The senator is flying to Dallas to join vice president Biden at his rally tonight where she will suspend her campaign and endorse the vice president," a Klobuchar campaign spokesperson said.
The move is a major boost for Mr Biden, following the withdrawal of another moderate, Pete Buttigieg, yesterday.
After a blowout victory in the last primary, Saturday in South Carolina, Mr Biden heads into "Super Tuesday" with a head of steam as he challenges leftist firebrand Bernie Sanders to see who faces US President Donald Trump in November's election.
Ms Klobuchar, a US senator from the state of Minnesota, had positioned herself as a centrist and pragmatist who has worked across the aisle in Washington and could bring that spirit of unity and cooperation into the Oval Office.
Despite a few compelling debate performances, the 59-year-old never registered above single digits in national polling averages and was not expected to deliver a strong showing on Tuesday, when 14 states go to the polls.
Her exit leaves two women in the Democratic nomination hunt: Senator Elizabeth Warren, a progressive from Massachusetts, and the anti-war congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii.
Ms Warren thanked Ms Klobuchar in a tweet. "You've been a champion for working families and women in politics, and I look forward to keeping up that fight by your side," she wrote.
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Mr Buttigieg had a strong start to the Democratic primary season narrowly winning the Iowa Caucuses and coming second in New Hampshire.
But after poor results in Nevada and South Carolina he has decided to pull out of the race.
It is expected to further boost the fortunes of Mr Biden after the former vice president scored a resounding victory in South Carolina's primary on Saturday in the contest to see who faces President Donald Trump in November.
Mr Biden has emerged as the chief moderate challenger to frontrunner Bernie Sanders, the firebrand leftist who has taken the race by storm and is looking to score big wins tomorrow in states like crown jewel California.
Mr Buttigieg, a former mayor of South Bend, Indiana was hoping to become America's first openly gay president but he told supporters last night that his path to the White House had narrowed to a close and that he was making the difficult decision to suspend his campaign.
"The truth is that the path has narrowed to a close - for our candidacy, if not for our cause," he told supporters in his home town last night.
Mr Buttigieg did not mention Bernie Sanders by name in his speech, but he has publicly stated he believes the 78-year-old senator's "inflexible" political approach would fail in a match-up against Mr Trump.
"We need a broad-based agenda that can truly deliver for the American people, not one that gets lost in ideology," he said, telegraphing in a way his opposition to a Sanders nomination.
Mr Buttigieg however stopped short of endorsing Mr Biden or any other candidate.
"The truth is the path has narrowed to a close," @PeteButtigieg tells supporters. He says he has made the "difficult decision" to step aside and end his campaign. @rtenews pic.twitter.com/g0ybz90twP
— Brian O'Donovan (@BrianOD_News) March 2, 2020
Mr Buttigieg emerged as a major player by narrowly winning the Iowa caucuses, earning widespread attention for his unflustered and professional approach in an often bitter Democratic nomination battle.
But his third place finish in Nevada and a worse showing in South Carolina confirmed he struggled to build a broad coalition, including support from black voters - a key Democratic demographic.
Mr Biden's resounding victory on Saturday in the first southern state to vote has thrust him back into contention, after miserable showings in the first three states.
With 48% of the vote in South Carolina, Mr Biden more than doubled the 20% won by Mr Sanders - positioning him as the leftist senator's main rival.
"This is a big boost for us," Mr Biden said yesterday on CNN, but "we have a long way to go".
Mr Sanders continues to hold poll leads in several Super Tuesday states - including California.
"I think we've got a great chance to win in California, in Texas, in Massachusetts and a number of states," Mr Sanders said yesterday on CBS.
But into an already turbulent Democratic race - which has gradually winnowed down a diverse and record-large field – Mr Biden's victory on Saturday injected further uncertainty.
Many Buttigieg supporters are unlikely to shift their backing to billionaire Michael Bloomberg, whom Mr Buttigieg has openly accused of trying to "buy" his way into the presidential race. Mr Bloomberg has poured a staggering $500m from his personal fortune into campaign advertising.
As the race goes forward, money will loom ever larger.
Mr Biden claimed he had been outspent 40-to-1 in South Carolina, but said his victory there brought in an infusion of $5m in overnight donations.
Mr Sanders has raised huge amounts in mostly small donations, including $46m in February alone.
Additional reporting Brian O'Donovan
