Former Governor Lincoln Chafee’s presidential run ended as oddly as it began. While Chafee started his campaign by calling for a conversion to the metric system, he withdrew from the race by making a plea for peace. However, he did so by making reference to the ancient Greek play, Lysistrata. In the play, a group of women secure peace by refusing to have intercourse with their husbands.
Chafee withdrew from the race while speaking to the Democratic National Committee Women’s Forum. It was expected that Chafee would announce his withdrawal there after he tweeted that he would be addressing his “future in the campaign.”
Chafee’s long-shot bid failed to gain traction with voters. He consistently hovered around zero and one percent in national and state polls. For a period of time, his inclusion in the Democratic debate was in question as he was failing to reach one percent. His campaign funds largely consisted of self-donations. He received a good deal of attention at the Democratic debate as he attacked former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her ethics and honesty. However, his performance was criticized as he struggled to answer questions.
Chafee’s withdrawal leaves three major Democratic candidates, plus Lawrence Lessig. Unless Martin O’Malley begins to pick up a heavy amount of support (he currently hovers around one percent), the Democratic race is largely turning into a head-to-head competition between Secretary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders.