Why Did Bernie Sanders Drop Out Of The Democratic Primary?

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Senator Bernie Sanders announced Wednesday that he is leaving the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, leaving the way open for former Vice President Joe Biden to be the rival of President Donald Trump in next November's elections.

Sanders' decision took some by surprise because only a few weeks ago he had ruled out giving up his bid to be the Democratic presidential candidate, despite the fact that a long series of primary defeats held thus far had made his goal in something like that impossible.

"The path to victory is virtually impossible. I have concluded that this bid for the presidential nomination will not be successful," the Vermont senator said in a streaming appearance to explain the reasons for his decision.

The 78-year-old socialist, who managed to grab much of the Latino vote in primaries like those in Nevada, Texas or California, managed to place himself at the top of the polls earlier this year after the firsts of Iowa and New Hampshire, but the resurrection of Biden in South Carolina allowed the former vice president to rally voters who were not betting on Sanders' progressive agenda.

Biden, who is Barack Obama's vice president and formerly a state senator from Delaware, now has a clear path to being nominated at the Democratic National Convention as the party's candidate for the White House.

Of course, the withdrawal of Sanders does not mean that he abandons his efforts to influence the party and made it clear in his appearance that he will continue to appear on the remaining primary ballots in order to add delegates that allow him to have a voice and vote in Convention.

President Trump reacted to the news by blaming Senator Elizabeth Warren, considered the other progressive candidate in the Democratic race, for contributing to Sanders' defeat by subtracting votes and calling on the senator's supporters to join the Republicans.