Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders withdrew from the Democratic Party in the 2020 US presidential election. He announced this to his supporters during the video broadcast. According to Sanders, it is now "practically impossible" to win the party’s internal elections, especially in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I cannot, with a clear conscience, continue the campaign, which will not lead to victory and can hinder the implementation of the important work that is required of all of us at this difficult time,” he said during a live broadcast from his home in Vermont.

Bernie Sanders made this decision after a series of defeats at the primaries in Florida, Michigan and North Carolina. According to the Associated Press, as of April 7, Bernie Sanders had enlisted the support of 914 delegates who were ready to vote for him at the Democratic National Congress.

At the same time, his main opponent, the former vice president of Joe Biden, had the votes of 1217 delegates. To become a Democratic presidential candidate, you need to enlist the support of a 1991 delegate.

Experts note that after a series of defeats, especially in the key state of Florida, the socialist senator did not have a chance to narrow the gap.

“The gap between him and Biden is too big for him to compensate for the remaining votes in the primaries. This was completely unrealistic, which is why he left this race, ”explained Yuri Rogulev, director of the US Roosevelt Foundation for the Study of the USA at Moscow State University.

  • Senator Bernie Sanders and Former Vice President Joe Biden
  • Reuters
  • © Mike Blake

2016 repeat

The exit of Bernie Sanders from the presidential race was commented on by Donald Trump. In his Twitter message, he wrote that Sanders did not have enough votes, which was pulled by another candidate - Senator Elizabeth Warren. Trump also expressed the opinion that the situation is reminiscent of the 2016 election, when Bernie Sanders lost to the primaries of Hillary Clinton.

“Bernie Sanders REDUCED! Thanks to Elizabeth Warren. If it weren’t for her, Bernie would have won almost all the states according to the results of the Super Tuesday! It turned out exactly what the Democrats and their National Committee wanted - the same as in the case of the fiasco of the corrupt Hillary. Bernie supporters should join the Republican Party. EXCHANGE! ”Trump wrote.

Bernie Sanders is OUT! Thank you to Elizabeth Warren. If not for her, Bernie would have won almost every state on Super Tuesday! This ended just like the Democrats & the DNC wanted, same as the Crooked Hillary fiasco. The Bernie people should come to the Republican Party, TRADE!

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2020

A parallel with the situation in the primaries of the Democratic Party before the 2016 elections was also noted by Associate Professor of the Higher School of Economics Alexander Domrin.

“Sanders has already carried out a failed campaign in 2016. Even then, it was obvious that the leadership of the Democratic Party plays on the side of Hilary Clinton. The most shameful moment was when, realizing that an unfair campaign was being conducted against him, he still urged his supporters to vote for Clinton, ”the expert said.

Triumph Joe

Now, the only presidential candidate from the Democratic Party is ex-vice president Joe Biden. Having been a favorite since the start of the race in the spring of 2019, Biden suffered several major defeats in the first ballot.

This involved voting in the states of New Hampshire and Iowa. However, the situation changed when the time came for primaries and caucuses in the southern US states. During the so-called "Super Tuesday" Joe Biden won in 9 states out of 14.

American media noted that such a convincing victory for Biden was brought by the votes of African-Americans living in the south of the country, who associate the former vice president with his associate, Barack Obama.

It is worth noting that after his decision to leave the presidential race, Bernie Sanders congratulated Biden, but did not express his support to him. In the US political system, retiring party members often support the stronger, calling on their supporters to vote for him. So, Biden, retired billionaire Michael Bloomberg, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobushar previously announced their support for Biden.

Sanders in his address called the opponent a worthy person with whom he hopes to work with in the future. At the same time, the senator noted that he would not remove his name from the ballots in the states with the upcoming primaries. Sanders will continue to gather delegates to influence the Democratic Party platform at the national congress.

“And then, together, we can defeat Trump, the most dangerous president in modern American history,” CNBC quoted Sanders as saying.

Not receiving direct support from Sanders, Joe Biden himself called on Senator supporters to vote for themselves to defeat Donald Trump. He wrote about this on his Facebook.

The socialist senator had no chance to recruit the required number of candidates and win the national congress of the Democratic Party, said Andrei Sidorov, head of the department of international organizations and world political processes at the Moscow State University’s faculty of world politics.

“After Biden began to take one state after another after the“ Super Tuesday, ”there was no hope for Sanders to really advance. In addition, he has serious health problems that were identified during the primaries, ”said the expert.

Now the former vice president is the most convenient candidate for the party leadership and its sponsors, added Andrei Sidorov.

“National and local party committees will rely on a person who is better known and occupies a centrist line. Sanders associated himself with the left, semi-socialist wing of the Democratic Party. The party system would hardly be able to forgive him slogans about a universal free health care system and tax increases for wealthy Americans, ”the political scientist explained.

As in the case of the 2016 primaries, Bernie Sanders did not enjoy the support of the administrative resource in the person of local party organizations, Domrin noted.

“Sanders was supported mainly by young people, a liberal profession, but this is not enough. The bulk of the democratic electorate, including trade unions and colored people, focuses on Biden’s centrism, ”the expert emphasized.

However, according to Alexander Domrin, the situation with the presidential election is seriously affected by the coronavirus epidemic, which hit the USA especially hard.

“It is not known how heavy the losses will be among Americans and how much Trump’s opponents will be able to promote it. The current president now has serious problems associated with the fact that the coronavirus hit the economy, so he is trying to flood the fire with money, ”the expert said.

Yuri Rogulev noted that in a pandemic, it will be difficult for candidates to conduct their election campaigns.

“Party congresses will take place only at the end of summer. Wait a long time, and Biden is sitting at home in quarantine. He does not conduct any political activity. Whether he will be able to maintain his popularity in this way is unknown, ”the political scientist concluded.