Bernie Sanders said Tuesday morning that he would keep fighting to win the Democratic nomination all the way through to the July convention, a promise that seems likely to keep the Democratic Party from unifying around Hillary Clinton for another three months.
Speaking on ABC, Sanders did say he would eventually work to ensure Clinton wins the White House if he’s not the nominee. But he stressed that he’s not ready to give up the fight just yet, even though nearly everyone agrees Clinton essentially has the nomination.
“I’m gonna give every person in this country the right to decide who is going to be president of the United States, what the agenda is of the Democratic Party,” Sanders said. “That’s what our campaign is about, talking real issues, not process, not worrying about what will happen when it will happen.”
“I intended to do everything I can, if I am not the nominee, to make sure that some Republican does not sit in the White House,” he said. “But for the moment, we’re going to fight all the way to the Philadelphia convention, and we’re going to win as many delegates as we can, and we believe we do have a path to victory.”
Clinton leads Sanders in the overall delegate count 1,944 to 1,192, and she’s less than 500 delegates away from clinching the nomination.
When asked if Sanders would continue even if Clinton clinches after the early June primary in California, Sanders said it’s not entirely clear.
“We are gonna fight through California, and then we see what happens,” he said.
In an MSNBC appearance later in the morning, Sanders rejected the idea that his campaign was hurting Clinton or the Democratic Party by prolonging the nomination. He said his campaign is bringing in thousands of new voters, and said he still has a path to victory given the remaining states.
“I don’t think we’re hurting the party,” he said.
