Kamala Harris announced she was dropping out of the presidential race last Tuesday, shocking many people who still considered her a front runner.

This news shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, though, considering Harris had been putting all her effort into Iowa and Pete Buttigieg is still pulling ahead in the Iowa polls. 

Harris announced her decision to step out of the race via a post on Medium.com. 

“My campaign for president simply doesn’t have the financial resources we need to continue,” Harris said on Medium.com. “I’m not a billionaire. I can’t fund my own campaign. And as the campaign has gone on, it’s become harder and harder to raise the money we need to compete. In good faith, I can’t tell you, my supporters and volunteers, that I have a path forward if I don’t believe I do.”

Harris went on to ensure her supporters that she would still be fighting for what she believes is right for this nation in what I thought was a very moving post. 

Along with Harris, Joe Sestak and Steve Bullock have dropped out of the race this week. However, Michael R. Bloomberg has officially entered the race, so there are currently 15 democratic candidates, according to The New York Times. 

The four frontrunners — Buttigieg, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren — are still holding on tight as the December debate creeps up on us with only them, Amy Klobuchar and Tom Stayer currently qualifying for the debate, according to The New York Times’ debate tracker. 

Biden had an unfortunate run-in with a voter in Iowa, according to a video by The New York Times. A man questioned Biden’s son’s business and supposedly accused Biden of setting up his son to work at an oil company. 

Biden took serious offense to this accusation as well as the voter’s statement that Biden was too old to run and went on to challenge the man to pushups and a run, in the video of the interaction.  

The interaction left a sour taste in my mouth and I wonder if Biden’s aggressive reactions will end up hurting him more as the race continues. 

At the very least, the interaction overshadowed some good news for Biden last week. He has been officially endorsed by the former secretary of state John F. Kerry, according to The New York Times. 

As far as policy goes, there were a few different announcements made in the last week. 

Buttigieg released a plan called Long-Term Care America that addresses the fact that Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age and with that, they will likely begin to face more of the health problems that come with aging.

This plan is multifold, discussing how to make long-term care more affordable, how to support direct care workers and underpaid family caregivers, expanding access to long-term care and improving the quality of life for people in long-term care, according to his website. 

Other plans announced this week include Cory Booker’s plan to invest in historically black colleges and universities, Julian Castro’s hope to expand federal food programs and Sander’s plan to provide universal high-speed internet. 

As we go into winter break and take time to relax, make some money at work or travel, I hope you all take some time to check up on the candidates and what they’re doing, going into the new year. 

Kuchta can be reached at [email protected]