Rep. Seth Moulton ends Democratic presidential primary bid

WASHINGTON (AP) - Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton is exiting the Democratic presidential primary race, becoming the second 2020 candidate to drop out this week as the field narrows.

Moulton announced the end of his campaign during remarks to the Democratic National Committee at their summer meeting Friday.

He says, "Though this campaign is not ending the way we hoped, I am leaving this race knowing that we raised issues that are vitally important to the American people and our future."

Moulton focused on mental health treatment after revealing his own struggles on that front as a combat veteran. He joins Washington Gov. Jay Inslee in exiting the presidential race this week.

Moulton has told Democratic National Committee members that he will campaign vigorously for the party's eventual 2020 presidential nominee after dropping his own longshot White House bid.

Moulton helped recruit several Democratic veterans who ultimately won congressional races in 2018 and helped the party reclaim a House majority. Moulton says he will continue those efforts focused in "tough districts" around the country.

President Donald Trump took to Twitter shortly after Moulton made the announcement Friday to seemingly joke that, "perhaps the news that Representative Seth Moulton, whoever that may be, has dropped out of the 2020 Presidential Race," was the cause of the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping more than 600 points Friday morning. The drop followed Trump's demands that U.S. companies with operations in China consider moving them to other countries — including the U.S. — just hours after Beijing announced new tariffs on $75 billion in U.S. goods.