WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell of California is ending his presidential bid, becoming the first candidate in the crowded 2020 Democratic primary to exit the campaign.

Swalwell announced his decision Monday.

He had signaled that he would consider bowing out of the presidential race if he was in danger of missing the cutoff for the next nationally televised Democratic debate, which is based on separate polling and donor qualifications.

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock missed the threshold for last month’s debate but was ahead of Swalwell in the competition for this month’s televised Democratic faceoff before the four-term California congressman exited the primary.

If Swalwell seeks another term in Congress, he already has a challenger ahead of next year’s election in his liberal-leaning district: Democrat Aisha Wahab, a city councilwoman in Hayward.

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