After months of sometimes chaotic Democratic presidential primary debates and scrutinizing a plethora of candidates with varying ideas, former Vice President Joe Biden is the last front runner left standing as Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has dropped out of the race, putting an end to his five-year journey to be the next President of the United States, the New York Times reports.
With Sanders suspending his campaign, the November presidential election is expected to be a match between current president Donald Trump and Biden.
Sanders had been a seemingly early favorite among Democrats, snapping up victories in New Hampshire’s primary election and Iowa caucuses.
However, the power of the Black vote – something Sanders has struggled with throughout his campaign – went on full display for Biden when he secured a win in South Carolina in late February, bolstering his campaign.
By Super Tuesday, Biden made a stunning comeback snapping up state after state, in a streak that all but spelled defeat for Sanders’ campaign by the time he swept the primaries in Florida, Illinois and Arizona, widening his delegate lead over the Vermont senator.
By the time the coronavirus pandemic reached the United States, changing the way the candidates were left to the campaign (and also, in general, overshadowing the elections), other Democrats were urging Sanders to put an end to his race to unify the party, as the Times notes.
However, Sanders’ impact on the Democratic race, on the Democratic Party itself is unquestionable. He pushed for and paved the way to a more progressive party. In 2016, when he first ran, his ideas and policies were often thought of as too progressive. When he returned to the campaign stage in 2020, he found himself amongst several candidates championing for the same policies that he had long called for, including Medicare for All and free public colleges.
“Three years ago, during our 2016 campaign, when we brought forth our progressive agenda we were told that our ideas were ‘radical,’ and ‘extreme,’” Sanders said in a video when he announced his candidacy last February. “These policies and more are now supported by a majority of Americans.”