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U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Sanders drops out, paves way for Biden's nomination

(Xinhua)    08:19, April 09, 2020

"So while we are winning the ideological battle and while we are winning the support of so many young people and working people throughout the country, I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful," Sanders said. "And so today I am announcing the suspension of my campaign."

WASHINGTON, April 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders dropped out of the race Wednesday, paving the way for the party's only remaining candidate Joe Biden to become the Democratic nominee.

In a speech live streamed to supporters in the morning, Sanders said his "path toward victory is virtually impossible," with some 300 fewer delegate votes than Biden's.

"So while we are winning the ideological battle and while we are winning the support of so many young people and working people throughout the country, I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful," he said. "And so today I am announcing the suspension of my campaign."

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks during a campaign rally at the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park of Chicago, the United States, on March 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ping)

Senator from the state of Vermont and a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, Sanders has been lagging behind former Vice President Biden in several past primaries, starting in South Carolina in late February and culminating in the crucial states of Michigan and Florida last month, before the coronavirus outbreak disrupted the election process.

While admitting he cannot continue a "campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour," Sanders insisted that he and his supporters have won on the ideological front.

"Few would deny that over the course of the past five years our movement has won the ideological struggle," said the 78-year-old.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, former U.S. vice president, attends a caucus night rally with his wife Jill Biden at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, the United States, Feb. 3, 2020. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)

Over the course of the nominating contest, Biden -- a moderate as opposed to Sanders' progressive stance -- has built up a lead in the decisive delegate votes, garnering over half of the 1,991 votes needed for nomination, thus continuously narrowing Sanders' path toward a one-on-one with incumbent President Donald Trump in the general election.

The veteran politician said he will remain on the ballot in states that still expect to have primaries despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and that he will continue to gather delegates in order to carry his message forward. "While this campaign is coming to an end, our movement is not."

Sanders has campaigned on a progressive policy agenda that includes Medicare for All through a government-led healthcare system, the Green New Deal to cope with the climate change, and College for All that guarantees tuition- and debt-free public college, among other proposals.

Now trailing presumptive nominee Biden in delegate votes 914 to 1,217, Sanders ran for president in the 2016 race but was defeated by Hillary Clinton in the Democratic nominating process.

(For the latest China news, Please follow People's Daily on Twitter and Facebook)
(Web editor: Liang Jun, Bianji)

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