Bernie Sanders ends presidential campaign

He said that in the past few weeks, he consulted with his wife and supporters and made an “honest assessment” of his path to victory.

By OMRI NAHMIAS, TAMAR URIEL-BEERI
Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders takes the stage for an outdoor campaign rally in Austin, Texas, U.S., February 23, 2020. (photo credit: REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR)
Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders takes the stage for an outdoor campaign rally in Austin, Texas, U.S., February 23, 2020.
(photo credit: REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR)
WASHINGTON -  Senator Bernie Sanders announced on Wednesday that he is ending his presidential campaign, but will remain on the remaining ballots to win more delegates to gain influence over the Democratic Party’s platform.
In a livestream video from his home in Vermont, the Jewish candidate told his supporters that he wished he could give them better news, “but I think you know the truth and that is that we are now some 300 delegates behind [former] vice president Joe Biden and the path toward victory is virtually impossible.
“While we are winning the ideological battle and while we are winning the support of so many young people and working people throughout the country, I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful,” Sanders said. “Today, I am announcing the suspension of my campaign. Please know that I do not make this decision lightly. In fact, that has been a very difficult and painful decision.”
He said that in the past few weeks, he consulted with his wife and supporters and made an “honest assessment” of his path to victory. “If I believed that we are on a feasible path to the nomination, I would certainly continue the campaign, but it’s just not there.”
Sanders noted that he is aware that some of his supporters disagree with the decision to withdraw from the campaign and cited the coronavirus pandemic as one of the factors for the timing of his announcement.
“As I see the crisis gripping the nation exacerbated by a president unwilling or unable to provide any kind of credible leadership and the work that needs to be done to protect people in this most desperate hour, I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign they cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour,” Sanders said.
He congratulated the former vice president, calling Biden “a very decent man who I will work with to move our progressive ideas forward.”
“On a practical note, I will stay on the ballot in all remaining states and continue to gather delegates,” he continued. “While vice president Biden will be the nominee, we must continue working to assemble as many delegates as possible at the democratic convention, where we will be able to exert significant influence over the party platform and other functions. Then, together, standing united, we will go forward to defeat Donald Trump, the most dangerous president in modern American history, and we will fight to elect strong Progressives at every level of government from Congress to the school board."
“Bernie Sanders is OUT!” US President Donald Trump tweeted in response to Sanders quitting the race. “Thank you to Elizabeth Warren. If not for her, Bernie would have won almost every state on Super Tuesday!

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“This ended just like the Democrats & the DNC wanted, same as the Crooked Hillary fiasco,” he continued. “The Bernie people should come to the Republican Party, TRADE!”
Biden said that “Bernie has put his heart and soul into not only running for President, but for the causes and issues he has been dedicated to his whole life. Bernie has done something rare in politics. He hasn’t just run a political campaign; he’s created a movement. And make no mistake about it, I believe it’s a movement that is as powerful today as it was yesterday. That’s a good thing for our nation and our future.
“I want to commend Bernie for being a powerful voice for a fairer and more just America,” Biden concluded. “Together we will defeat Donald Trump. And when we do that, we’ll not only do the hard work of rebuilding this nation — we’ll transform it.”



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