Pete Buttigieg might not win the presidency, but he will always be an influential political figure. His bid for the presidency made sure of that. Now it’s time to make sure the Democratic Party will have a future, too.

“Our goal has always been to help unify Americans, to defeat Donald Trump, and to win the era for our values,” Buttigieg said Sunday night after announcing his exit from the 2020 Democratic primary. “And so, we must recognize that at this point in the race, the best way to keep faith with those goals is to step aside and help bring our party and country together. … I will no longer seek the 2020 Democratic nomination for the presidency, but I will do everything in my power to make sure we have a new Democratic president come January.”