Linda Radtke
CNBC’s Eamon Javers reports on Bernie Sanders’ decision to end his presidential campaign, clearing the path for Joe Biden to be the Democratic nominee.
Sen. Bernie Sanders dropped out of the 2020 presidential race Wednesday, ending an unprecedented Democratic primary and setting up a general election between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.
The independent senator from Vermont announced his move in a conference call with staff, after he suffered a series of crushing primary losses and the coronavirus pandemic stalled his campaign for weeks. Speaking to supporters, he said the path to winning the Democratic presidential nomination is “virtually impossible,” adding that he did not want to put effort into a doomed campaign as the outbreak rips through the country.
“I 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,” he said in remarks livestreamed from his Vermont home.
Sanders congratulated Biden on Wednesday but did not explicitly endorse him. He called his former rival “a very decent man who I will work with to move our progressive ideas forward.” The senator said he would not drop off the ballot in states with upcoming primaries and try to amass more delegates in order to influence the party’s platform at its August convention.
“Then together, standing united we will go forward to defeat Donald Trump, the most dangerous president in modern American history,” he said.
In a statement after Sanders left the race, Biden said his former rival has “created a movement” and “changed the dialogue in America.” While he acknowledged that he and Sanders have different views on how quickly to move toward policy goals, he said he would continue dialogue with the senator and his supporters.
“I hope you will join us. You are more than welcome. You’re needed,” Biden said to Sanders’ loyal following.
After early triumphs in the Democratic primary, Sanders failed to pull away from Biden as a field that once numbered more than 20 candidates dwindled. Sanders saw success from Iowa to New Hampshire, Nevada, Colorado and California.
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