Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 02:02 pm
In a national live stream address that aired Thursday, Bernie Sanders did not drop out of the presidential race but reiterated his vow to work with Hillary Clinton to defeat Donald Trump in November.
“The major political task that we face in the next five months is to make certain that Donald Trump is defeated and defeated badly,” Sanders said in his speech.
In another clue that the Vermont senator is getting closer to formally exiting the race, Sanders said, “I personally intend to begin my role in that process (defeating Trump) in a very short period of time.”
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Sanders also promised to take his campaign’s “energy” to the Democratic National Convention in July to ensure “that the Democratic Party passes the most progressive platform in its history and that Democrats actually fight for that agenda.”
The main focus of his speech, though, was not to try to change the outcome of the primary race – that is essentially set in stone. Instead, Sanders laid the groundwork for ways his political organization can continue into the future and “transform the Democratic Party” so that it’s built on a stronger foundation.
He said:
“The current Democratic Party leadership has turned its back on dozens of states in this country and has allowed right-wing politicians to win elections in some states with virtually no opposition – including some of the poorest states in America. The Democratic Party needs a 50-state strategy. We may not win in every state tomorrow but we will never win unless we recruit good candidates and develop organizations that can compete effectively in the future. We must provide resources to those states which have so long been ignored.
We need to start engaging at the local and state level in an unprecedented way. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers helped us make political history during the last year. These are people deeply concerned about the future of our country and their own communities. Now we need many of them to start running for school boards, city councils, county commissions, state legislatures and governorships. State and local governments make enormously important decisions and we cannot allow right-wing Republicans to increasingly control them.”
Bernie Sanders no longer has his sights set on winning over superdelegates or trying to snag the nomination at the convention. Instead, he plans to mobilize his organization – and millions of his supporters – to get involved in politics and help grow the Democratic Party so that it won’t just beat Donald Trump in November, but can thrive for decades to come.
It’s only a matter of time before the Vermont senator exits the race and throws his energy and resources behind Hillary Clinton.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
