California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell has ended his long-shot 2020 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Swalwell participated in the recent debate, where he challenged the frontrunner, former Vice President Joe Biden to "pass the torch". However, polling out both before and since the debate has indicated he was gaining little, if any traction in the crowded Democratic field. The four-term Bay Area congressman is expected to continue his career in the House, where he is a member of the Judiciary and Intelligence committees. 

I want thank my supporters & friends, my staff, & my family for making this journey possible. I’ll never forget the people I met & lessons I learned while traveling around our great nation. Though our campaign is ending our mission to end gun violence is just beginning... pic.twitter.com/voEJRpYd2R

— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) July 8, 2019

Assuming nobody else qualifies to force a tiebreaker, the departure clears a spot for Montana Gov. Steve Bullock in the next debate, scheduled for July 30 and 31.