On April 8, Senator Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign for the 2020 Presidential election. This decision comes after Sanders lost to Biden in Democratic primaries in crucial states such as South Carolina, Michigan and Florida. 

Sanders and Biden were the only two candidates still in the race for the Democratic nomination, following Elizabeth Warren suspending her campaign on March 5. However, Biden was leading in the recent primaries by 300 delegates and it was likely that Sanders would not receive the nomination given the results in the polls. 

Sanders will remain on the ballot in states still holding primaries, continuing to gather delegates. According to the New York Times, this move allows him and his message to continue to influence the election. 

However, Sanders is supporting Biden in hopes to continue his progressive movement and influence the Democratic party as a whole. 

Biden took to Twitter to thank Sanders for his contribution to the election and congratulate him on the movement that he and his team have created. 

I know Bernie well. He’s a good man, a great leader, and one of the most powerful voices for change in our country. And it’s hard to sum up his contributions to our politics in one, single tweet. So I won’t try to. https://t.co/Z6OkCDWFNm

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 8, 2020

Biden has urged Sander’s supporters to support him, saying that he understands he needs to earn their votes and that it might take time. 

Now that Sanders has suspended his campaign, major news sources such as NBC and CNN have stated that this clears the way for Biden to win the Democratic nomination, making him the candidate that will be facing President Donald Trump in the November general election.