Joe Biden is the presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee.
Biden, 77, congratulated Bernie Sanders Wednesday, his last remaining rival in his party’s race for the right to challenge President Trump in November, on a job well done after the Vermont senator suspended his second White House campaign.
“Bernie has put his heart and soul into not only running for President, but for the causes and issues he has been dedicated to his whole life,” the two-term vice president wrote in a lengthy statement.
“So, I know how hard a decision this was for him to make — and how hard it is for the millions of his supporters — especially younger voters — who have been inspired and energized and brought into politics by the progressive agenda he has championed,” Biden said. “Bernie has done something rare in politics.”
Sanders’s announcement that he was bowing out of primary contention wasn’t a surprise given he’d significantly trailed Biden in the delegate count since South Carolina. But aware of difficulties that 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton experienced in ginning up Sanders’s base during the general election, Biden on Wednesday extended an olive branch to the senator and his fans, citing issues such as income inequality, universal healthcare, climate change, and free college.
“He hasn’t just run a political campaign; he’s created a movement. And make no mistake about it, I believe it’s a movement that is as powerful today as it was yesterday. That’s a good thing for our nation and our future,” Biden said of his former opponent.
The pair had spoken on the phone regarding the state of their respective White House bids.
Biden’s journey to become the next Democratic standard-bearer is a long one. He first sought the presidency during the 1988 cycle, but dropped out before Iowa after he was accused of plagiarizing a political speech. He exited in the 2008 primary after Iowa following a disappointing fifth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses.
Though considered an early front-runner, his 2020 run was similarly hampered by self-inflicted gaffes and his competitors seizing on his long record in public life. After embarrassing results in Iowa and New Hampshire, he regained momentum in Nevada before notching up resounding victories in South Carolina and Super Tuesday, thanks in part to his popularity with black Democrats.
