Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has ended his campaign on Wednesday, effectively paving the way for former Vice President Joe Biden to nomination of the Democratic Party and showdown with President Donald Trump in November.
The senator, at one point the front-runner for the nomination, initially announced the decision during an all-staff conference call Wednesday morning, and followed up with an address livestreamed to supporters shortly before noon, Fox news reported.
Calling it a "difficult and painful decision," Sanders stressed that "while this campaign is coming to an end, our movement is not."
"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," The senator said in a livestream. "I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful. And so today I am announcing the suspension of my campaign." He added.
During the first state competitions of primary season, Sanders finished strong in Iowa and New Hampshire; he also won multiple states on Super Tuesday, including delegate-rich California, Christian Post reported.
However, the Biden campaign dominated on Super Tuesday. winning nine states on that day and several states in later competitions. According to Christian Post, Biden's wins included a symbolic victory in Michigan, where Sanders had previously been strong in the 2016 primary election season.
Regarding his victories in states like Arizona, Florida, and Illinois, some experts concluded that Biden thrived through a coalition of senior citizens, African Americans, and party moderates.
The presumptive nominee said on his twitter. "I know Bernie well. He's a good man, a great leader, and one of the most powerful voices for change in our country. And it's hard to sum up his contributions to our politics in one, single tweet. So I won't try to." He also praised Bernie for creating a movement. "you've created a movement. And make no mistake about it, we 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."
More than any other Democratic campaign, Sanders' candidacy indeed represented a movement -- a populist, liberal, grassroots army of young people, Fox news noted.
Biden has also embraced some policies that Sanders had pushed such as bankruptcy reform and free college tuition at public colleges and universities. But he has not embraced "Medicare-for-all," Sanders' signature policy that has many supporters among congressional Democrats, according to Fox news.
As Bernie drops out of the 2020 Presidential race, Biden remains the only candidate in the once crowded Democratic Primary field, having outlasted several members of Congress and a few businessmen.
