Senator Bernie Sanders has officially ended his presidential campaign. His announcement leaves the door open for Joe Biden to become the Democratic party nominee for the 2020 US election.
Sanders, 78, captivated the US – and the world – through unrelenting enthusiasm for social, political, and economic change. His vision dramatically shifted key Democratic issues, with healthcare and the amendment of income inequality forming the cornerstones of his ideology.
Bernie Sanders has officially dropped out of the 2020 US Democratic nominee campaign, says that “victory is virtually impossible.”
The early stages of the Democratic race appeared promising for Sanders. However, subsequent losses in South Carolina, Texas and Arizona proved decisive, with Biden pulling ahead to a seemingly unassailable lead.
Sanders addressed his followers via livestream on Wednesday: “Please know that I do not make this decision lightly”, he said. “If I believed we had a feasible path to the nomination, I would continue, but I know that it’s just not there.”
Today I am suspending my campaign. But while the campaign ends, the struggle for justice continues on. https://t.co/MYc7kt2b16
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) April 8, 2020
Despite pulling out of the Democratic race, Sanders reiterated that the defeat of Donald Trump remains his top priority. Referring to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sanders took aim at Trump’s spluttering leadership and explained that he “cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour.”
Sanders also threw his support behind Joe Biden, who is now expected to run against Trump for the US presidency during the general election in November. “Today I congratulate Joe Biden, who I will work with to move our progressive ideas forward.”
Additionally, Sanders said he will remain on the ballot in remaining states in order to collect as many electoral delegates as possible. This will result in a stronger influence on the general election platform at the Democratic convention in August.
You can watch the full statement below.
