West Virginia veteran exits from 2020 presidential race

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — While other Democrats around the country are preparing for presidential runs, a retired Army paratrooper and former West Virginia lawmaker has become the first to call off his White House bid after about two months as a candidate.

Richard Ojeda says he isn’t getting the money or attention needed to sustain a campaign.

The tattooed veteran who recently ran for Congress announced his campaign for the Democratic nomination for president on Veterans Day in November. Ojeda said on social media Friday that he was told as a child that anyone could grow up to be president.

He says he now realizes that “unless someone has extreme wealth or holds influence and power it just isn’t true.”

Ojeda, who emphasized health care and economic issues, says he’ll make an announcement soon about his future.

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This story has been corrected to show that Ojeda was a candidate for about two months, not two weeks.