Hogue's decision leaves the DNC field at five candidates, four of whom are men, and none of whom come from an activist organization. As of Wednesday morning, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) and Labor Secretary Thomas Perez were seen as the most competitive candidates for the job, trading off endorsements and high-profile interviews. They're joined by New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley, South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Jaime Harrison and Idaho Democratic Party Executive Director Sally Boynton Brown.

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Last week, Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., passed on the race after flirting with a “flyover country” bid.

Hogue's decision drew more attention, however, as the defeat of Hillary Clinton fell particularly hard on female Democratic activists, and because abortion rights had been among the first targets of Republicans taking power in states and in Congress.

As a member of the DNC's platform committee in 2016, Hogue succeeded in getting the party on record, for the first time, in opposition to the Hyde Amendment, language passed by every Congress that prohibits public funding for abortions. At the party's convention in Philadelphia, Hogue herself discussed the abortion she'd had before starting a family — the first time anyone had told such a story from the stage.

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“I made the decision that was best for me — to have an abortion, and get compassionate care at a clinic in my own community,” she said. “… We are the same women at different times in our lives — each making decisions that are best for us.”

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In her Medium post, Hogue did not endorse any of the five current DNC candidates. She did use language similar to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), an early and key Ellison endorser, about how the party should reform.