By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON (AA) – U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders ended his presidential campaign Wednesday, making former Vice President Joe Biden the presumptive Democratic candidate for the party’s nomination
"Today I am suspending my campaign," Sanders said on Twitter. "But while the campaign ends, the struggle for justice continues on."
The progressive Independent senator whose campaign galvanized droves of new voters who sought an alternative to the Democratic establishment, suffered a series of bitter primary defeats to Biden, who grew his coalition after successive moderate Democrats withdrew from the race and lent their support to the former vice president. But Sanders remained popular among young voters, Latinos and in left-leaning circles.
Biden has fared well in predominantly black communities, riding momentum in that base to a successful victory in South Carolina where Feb. 29 he won his first contest. But Sanders continued to excel where his base remains strong, particularly in California, Washington, Nevada and Colorado.
Still, it was Biden who won major upsets in Texas, Florida, Arizona and Massachusetts, and it was in the latter state that his victory sealed the end of Elizabeth Warren's candidacy. After she dropped out of the race she refused to offer her endorsement to Sanders, her fellow progressive.
Biden's candidacy will not be formalized until this summer's Democratic convention, but given the coronavirus pandemic he proposed the possibility of holding the gathering virtually.
