Sanders acknowledged that the former vice president is too far ahead for him to have any reasonable hope of catching up.
ADVERTISEMENTBernie Sanders has ended his presidential campaign in the US primaries. The independent Senator from Vermont was running to face Donald Trump in the upcoming November general election.
His withdrawal from the race makes former Vice President Joe Biden the likely to challenge President Donald Trump in November.
Sanders initially exceeded sky-high expectations about his ability to recreate the magic of his 2016 presidential bid, and even overcame a heart attack last October on the campaign trail. But he found himself unable to convert unwavering support from progressives into a viable path to the nomination amid “electability” fears fuelled by questions about whether his democratic socialist ideology would be palatable to general election voters.
The 78-year-old senator began his latest White House bid facing questions about whether he could win back the supporters who chose him four years ago as an insurgent alternative to the party establishment’s choice, Hillary Clinton. Despite winning 22 states in 2016, there were no guarantees he’d be a major presidential contender this cycle, especially as the race’s oldest candidate.
Sanders, though, used strong polling and solid fundraising — collected almost entirely from small donations made online — to more than quiet early doubters. Like the first time, he attracted widespread support from young voters and was able to make new inroads within the Hispanic community, even as his appeal with African Americans remained small.
Sanders will address supporters at 5:45 p.m. CEST.