As Sanders Exits, Will His Supporters Back Biden?
Former Vice President Joe Biden is the presumptive Democratic nominee for President, but his coalition is eyeing Sanders passionate base for support in November.
Senator Bernie Sanders withdrew his bid for the presidency this week, leaving former Vice President Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee.
“He didn’t write the pandemic off as an excuse for him to stop running. He had a plan, it wasn’t working.” — Dave Weigel, Washington Post
Sanders’ campaign suspension came after a series of losses to Biden, impeding a viable path to the nomination. In his consecutive presidential campaigns, Sanders has cultivated a passionate movement guided by progressive ideals, instigating substantial reform within the Democratic Party.
Listen: Where does the Democratic Party stand after Sanders suspends his presidential campaign?
Guest
Dave Weigel, Washington Post political reporter, says Sanders suspended his campaign in part because he did not feel comfortable asking people to go out and volunteer for him amid the pandemic when he had no clear path to securing the nomination.
“He didn’t write the pandemic off as an excuse for him to stop running. He had a plan, it wasn’t working,” says Weigel.
“If you look at the content of Biden he has been moving more in Sanders’ direction.”
Despite his announcement to drop-out of the race there will still be people who vote for Sanders in upcoming primaries, which may help the campaign secure enough delegates for Sanders to have significant influence at the Democratic convention. Even with these potential additional votes and delegates Sanders is still going to fall really short of the support he had four years ago, says Weigel.
The nation’s attention now turns to the general election, where Sanders supporters are being asked to support Biden against President Donald Trump.
Weigel says that unlike the Clinton-Sanders prickly contest, Biden and the Vermont senator are friends who have worked with each other for decades. This could make converting Sanders supporters more likely for the former Vice President.
“If you look at the content of Biden he has been moving more in Sanders’ direction,” says Weigel.
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