<<First Name>>,

I am writing with sad news that has forced me to end my campaign for the Democratic nomination for president. The Democrats have now changed the rules for the debates, making it impossible for my campaign to continue.

As you know, the critical step in this improbable campaign has been to get into the debates. Though we raised more money than almost half of the field, and with you, built a vibrant campaign for reform, the party was slow to welcome us to this race. The polls have been slow to include me on the list of candidates.

But last week, we were making progress. A national poll by Monmouth found me at 1%. Three days ago, an NBC poll found the same. HuffPost Pollster now lists three polls at 1%. Since the Monmouth poll, no poll that included my name found me with less than 1%.

Under the rules for the debate announced by the DNC in August — and upon which we relied when we launched our campaign — the standard was 3 polls “in the six weeks prior to the debate.” Depending on which polls CBS counted, we either have qualified or could be just one poll away from qualifying for the debate.

But at the end of last week, I learned from my team that the DNC has now changed the rules. The standard is no longer the rule announced by the DNC Chair — 3 polls “in the six weeks prior to the debate.” The standard is now 3 polls “at least six weeks before the debate.” That means, for me to qualify, I had to have had 3 polls at 1% before October 10! You can read the @full and sad story as described by the leader of my campaign, Steve Jarding. The consequence of this change is that it is now impossible for me to get into the second debate.



I cannot ask you to support a campaign for the Democratic nomination that can’t even get before the members of the Democratic party. And I can’t ask my family or my team to make any further sacrifices for a cause that has no opportunity to earn the support that the nomination will require. The uncertainty around my inclusion in the debates has understandably slowed support for the campaign. Without a commitment from the party that I would be included, we cannot afford to continue the campaign.

So today the campaign will announce that I am no longer running for the Democratic nomination. You can see my video making this announcement here.

I have given this campaign every ounce of my energy. I wish I could have given more. We knew this would be difficult. I knew it would be personally costly. But the chance to help trigger a movement to fix the crippled and corrupted institution at the core of our democracy — Congress — is worth any burden. If I had been a better candidate, no doubt we could have carried this message further. But all any of us can do is to give everything we can. I have tried to do that.

You will never know how grateful I am for your support of this campaign. This fight continues, and your dedication has renewed my commitment to this cause for as long as I can serve. Thank you for your help and your support.

With gratitude,

Lessig

P.S. Would I return to the race if invited to the debate? OF COURSE! So please feel free to raise some hell by tweeting, forwarding this email to a friend or watching and sharing this 45-second video from supporter Jordan Leigh. I can’t help but believe the Democrats will do the right thing — eventually. Maybe you can make that happen.