Bernie Sanders shocked many Americans, both supporters and detractors alike, when he announced he would be dropping out of the presidential race.
The Vermont senator, who initially ran for the entirety of the 2016 primary race, has now dropped out of the 2020 race and endorsed rival Joe Biden. Sanders announced he was suspending his campaign on April 8, causing a media uproar.
During a live address given on April 8 on his website, Sanders told those watching that there was simply no way for him to win.
“The path toward victory is virtually impossible. So, while we are winning the ideological battle, and while we are winning the support of so many young people working with people around the country, I have seen that this battle for the Democratic nomination was not successful,” said Sanders.
Sanders explained in an interview with Stephen Colbert, host of “The Colbert Show,” that aside from the low percentage of votes for him in comparison to other candidates, the pandemic would affect his chances, given the fact it would not be safe to bring people together and hold rallies.
However, even though Sanders is no longer running, he insisted that “while the campaign is over, the struggle is not.” He will be prioritizing his duties as senator during this time and dealing with issues concerning the pandemic and economic collapse affecting many Americans.
Even if Sanders has dropped out, he believes the political ideology many consider to be radical has become much more mainstream over the past five years.
“Focusing on that new vision for America is what our campaign has been about and what in fact we’ve accomplished. Few can deny that over the course of the last five years, our movement has won the ideological struggle,” said Sanders in a livestream posted on Twitter on April 8.
Although no longer a candidate, Sanders is still an option on ballots and Americans could still vote for him as a way to earn delegates in order to have influence over the party platform at the Democratic National Convention. As of April 14, Sanders had obtained 937 delegates while Biden had received 1293.
Biden, once Sander’s biggest rival, is now being endorsed by Sanders himself. On a livestream aired on April 13, just five days after Sanders announced his suspension, he declared he was endorsing the former vice president.
Biden and Sanders views are different from each other, but both have acknowledged this and believe their task forces will come together to resolve various political issues.
“I think that your endorsement means a great deal. It means a great deal to me. I think people are going to be surprised that we are apart on some issues but we’re awfully close on a whole bunch of others. I’m going to need you — not just to win the campaign, but to govern,” said Biden on the livestream.
Sanders and Biden also stated that they are going to make sure Donald Trump does not get into office again; this specific issue is one Sanders is very passionate about as he said “Trump is the most dangerous president in the modern history of this country.”