With financial challenges and frustrating polls, Beto O’Rourke’s campaign reaches an abrupt end

DES MOINES — Hours before Beto O'Rourke quit the presidential race Friday evening, his supporters were taking part in the boisterous "sign wars" here outside the Wells Fargo Arena ahead of the season's biggest Democratic gathering.

In New Hampshire, his campaign was building out an upcoming trip, announcing he would participate in the famed "Politics and Eggs" speaking series on Nov. 8.

And in El Paso, staffers were readying a policy on disability issues to coincide with a forum on the topic Saturday in Cedar Rapids.

In many ways, it was business as usual for the campaign — until it wasn't. His exit Friday evening was a relatively abrupt conclusion to a campaign that began with much promise and fell from grace but found new purpose after the El Paso shooting in August and appeared — at least from the outside — to be pressing forward amid mounting challenges.