Washington, D.C. — Both President Obama and Sen. Elizabeth Warren endorsed Hillary Clinton on Thursday, but Bernie Sanders made no mention of the downward spiral of his campaign at an evening rally in the District of Columbia. His campaign staff admitted that they would not encourage their voters to switch loyalties to the Clinton campaign.
“It’s not like he can wave a magic wand and tell supporters to go out there and vote someway,” Sanders campaign spokesman Michael Briggs told the Washington Examiner on Thursday evening as Sanders spoke to supporters in the parking lot of RFK stadium in D.C.
He added, “There’s going to need to be a push to the convince the billions of new people who have come in to this process that they have a reason to vote for her on the issues that motivated them.”
While many thought Sanders might have exited the race after Clinton reached the crucial 2,383 delegate threshold to clinch the nomination on Tuesday, the Sanders spokesman made clear that they would continue on. Briggs said that they are “99 percent committed” to holding a campaign rally outside the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia this July and that “there are conversations going on” right now with the Clinton campaign about setting up a meeting between the two candidates to discuss the inclusion of progressive issues on the platform.
Although Sanders won’t expressly encourage his supporters to move toward Clinton, he repeatedly bashed Donald Trump in his speech. He also talked up his progressive causes and called on supporters to keep the political revolution going.
Before Sanders took the stage, Native American activist and DNC platform drafting committee member Deborah Parker asked those in attendance for a “moment of silence” because it has been “a difficult week” on the campaign trail.
Longtime campaign surrogate Cornell West also touched on the failing nature of the campaign, encouraging supporters to think critically before casting their ballot in November, stating “We know the difference between a neo-liberal and a neo-fascist but you make your own decision.”
At one point, supporters began to cheer “Stay in the race! Stay in the race!” as Sanders spoke, but the Vermont senator ignored them and pressed on with his speech.
Although most attendees at the rally recognized that Sanders run for the White House was nearing its end, many hoped that he’d stay in the race all the way to Philadelphia in order to spread his message.
“That’s my candidate up there. I don’t know about his future but I don’t think we’ll have a candidate with as much a vision as he did, ever. But he has to take it all the way and make his positions in the platform,” Sanders supporter Tes Faye explained.
“D.C. voter Mayshaim Tahir agreed, saying “I’m really upset honestly … He just wants to do good and I’m behind him 100 percent. Even if he loses in Philadelphia he’s already won because he’s changed ideologies.”
