The Democratic Socialist ended his campaign, placing Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders dropped out of the presidential race on Wednesday, leaving former Vice President Joe Biden as the only Democratic candidate still running.
Sanders, who was a favorite among progressive millennials, advocated for universal healthcare, alleviation of college debt and tax raises on the wealthy. He ended his campaign due to a drop in votes.
According to NPR, Sanders has 914 delegates prior to ending his campaign, compared to Biden’s 1,217. To be nominated for president, a candidate needs at least 1,991 delegates. It was more likely that Biden would get the necessary number of delegates to be the Democratic nominee. Now, Biden will face off against current-President Donald Trump on the Republican side.
Sanders announced his decision to his campaign staff, who relayed it to supporters via email Wednesday morning, according to CNN. This is the second campaign that Sanders dropped out of, mirroring his experience in the 2016 election.
Despite Sander’s “healthcare for all” plan, many news outlets claim one of the biggest reasons for his lack of votes boils down to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic which has “reshaped” the field, according to the New York Times.
“I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work ahead of all of us,” Sanders said about COVID-19.
This change seems to have been predicted by Biden, who began to search for a running mate last week. The New York Times reported that Biden’s campaign had reached out to former Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and former President Barack Obama for advice on picking a running mate.
Biden previously promised to have a female vice president, though he offered no names.
“I commit that I will, in fact, pick a woman to be vice president. There are a number of women qualified to be president tomorrow,” said Biden during a Democratic presidential debate.
Sanders’ campaign had been fraught with troubles since the beginning, with many of his critics believing he was an outlier of the Democratic Party, never truly claiming it as his own and preferring “Independent,” or “Democratic Socialist” instead. Sanders’ “otherness” continued to sew a divide between himself and other candidates as rumors of his sexism towards Elizabeth Warren and questions about his health began to appear.
Although Sanders is a dividing figure among Democrats, his departure from the presidential race is expected to leave progressives voiceless, according to CNN. Many of these voters appreciated Sanders’ no-nonsense take on big businesses and disdain for “corrupt politics.”