Bernie Sanders Congratulates Clinton But Vows To Fight On After South Carolina Defeat

Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 06:47 pm

Bernie Sanders congratulated Hillary Clinton, thanked his supporters, and vowed to fight on after losing the South Carolina Democratic primary.

In a statement, Sen. Sanders said:

I congratulate Secretary Clinton on her victory in South Carolina.

To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

I am very proud of the campaign we ran. I am grateful for the grassroots supporters who took on the political establishment and stood up for working families. I appreciate the many friendships that Jane and I have forged with people across South Carolina, where I was all but unknown when this campaign began 10 months ago. I will always be especially thankful for the courageous support of state Reps. Terry Alexander, Justin Bamberg, Joe Neal, Wendell Gilliard, Cesar McKnight, Robert Williams and former Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian.

Let me be clear on one thing tonight. This campaign is just beginning. We won a decisive victory in New Hampshire. She won a decisive victory in South Carolina. Now it’s on to Super Tuesday. In just three days, Democrats in 11 states will pick 10 times more pledged delegates on one day than were selected in the four early states so far in this campaign. Our grassroots political revolution is growing state by state, and we won’t stop now.

When we come together, and don’t let people like Donald Trump try to divide us, we can create an economy that works for all of us and not just the top 1 percent.

Super Tuesday is going to determine the length of the Democratic race. If Hillary Clinton has a big night on Tuesday, the Democratic nomination could be out of reach for Sen. Sanders. If Sanders has a good night and wins several states, the Democratic contest will continue.

The discouraging sign for the Sanders campaign is their inability to make gains with African-American voters in South Carolina. The Sanders campaign spent months working hard in the state to sway African-American voters, but Hillary Clinton has won at least 84% of South Carolina African-American voters.

Sanders will continue to fight because his bigger goal is a political revolution. The loss in South Carolina will not stop Sen. Sanders from talking about the issues that make the billionaires and Wall Street uncomfortable.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association