BERNIE SANDERS IS ending his second bid for the presidency, the campaign staff was informed on a conference call Wednesday morning, according to campaign sources.
Sanders’s departure from the race comes a day after the state of Wisconsin went forward with a controversial in-person election, which Sanders had called to be postponed. The Vermont senator was momentarily the frontrunner for the nomination, following a popular-vote win in Iowa, a win in New Hampshire, and a decisive victory in Nevada. His chances fell apart in South Carolina, where the dean of the state party, Rep. Jim Clyburn, gave an impassioned endorsement to former Vice President Joe Biden. A race that had been narrowing turned into a blowout.
Party moderates then coalesced around Biden, who soared in the polls, pulling off the biggest comeback in the shortest amount of time, measured by a swing in the polls, since the modern primary process began in 1972. Biden won a majority of states on Super Tuesday and continued racking up victories throughout March.
Trump Admin Drops the Hammer on School District for Kicking Girls Aside for Trans Athletes
As Dems Attempt to Censure GOP Rep for ‘Anti-Muslim’ Remarks, New Party Darling Celebrated For How Much He Hates Whites
Iran Attempts to Take Credit for Downing US Aircraft, Killing Airmen, Then Fakes Evidence in Profoundly Slipshod Way
Trump-backed Potomac sewage cleanup complete after massive spill ahead of summer America250 celebrations
Nepo-Baby Nazi-Tattooed Dem Senate Candidate Decries ‘Anti-Semitism,’ Claims ‘Anti-Trans’ Agenda Cooked Up By ‘Billionaires’
Obama Presidential Center wants 100 unpaid volunteers while Valerie Jarrett makes $740K
Jasmine Crockett’s alleged security guard killed in standoff with Dallas SWAT team: reports
Legal Group Files Challenge to Virginia Abortion Ballot Push
Op-Ed: This Video from the Church of England Will Make You Proud of Your Christian Heritage
Iran faces financial death blow because of war
Virginia Democrats dig in on DHS funding line despite ISIS-linked shooting at ODU, illegal immigrant murder
Red States Offer Low Housing Prices as Yet Another Draw for Families
Ex-Dem senator admits to affair with former bodyguard in explosive court filing: ‘Romantic and Intimate’
The Economist Blasted with Flurry of Posts for Bemoaning Death of Murderous Ayatollah
Dems continue to reject GOP efforts to fund ICE in DHS fight despite terror concerns: ‘That’s on them’
Some in Sanders’s inner circle — including, most vocally, Our Revolution Chair and labor leader Larry Cohen — urged Sanders to stay in the race in order to build his delegate total and leverage that for policy wins within the Democratic Party’s platform. Others argued the platform is largely meaningless and that his greatest leverage is in the Senate, where the economy is being reshaped by an ongoing series of relief efforts historic in scope and scale.
The Sanders campaign had raised $182 million by the end of February, with roughly $19 million cash on hand, according to Federal Election Commission records. The Biden campaign, meanwhile, had raised $88 million and had $12 million cash on hand at that point in the campaign.
Sanders’s exit is a boost for Biden, particularly as it relates to campaign finance. Without a primary opponent, he can move more quickly to the general election phase of the race, during which he can spend money raised for that purpose. Had the contest gone all the way to the August convention without Biden having locked up the necessary delegates, he would be restricted to his scarce primary funds only. It’s not entirely clear when Biden can tap general election funds, and lawyers are working to move the date up as much as possible, sources said.
Sanders will be addressing his supporters via livestream at 11:45 a.m. ET.
Story cited here.
