Breaking: Bernie Sanders Says He Will Take Fight to DC and Democratic Convention

Vermont Senator Says ‘We Will Continue to Fight for Every Vote and Every Delegate’

Senator Bernie Sanders late Tuesday night told supporters in Santa Monica, California he will not end his bid to become the Democratic nominee for president, even though Hillary Clinton secured a majority of pledged delegates earlier in the evening. The fact that Clinton no longer needs to rely on superdelegates to win the nomination did not seem to concern Senator Sanders.

Sanders said he will fight for more votes and delegates next Tuesday in Washington, D.C., and after that, all the way to the Democratic convention in July.

“Next Tuesday we continue the fight in the last primary in Washington DC.”

More than 10 million people have voted for Sen. Sanders during the course of his presidential run, he said. During his speech, which did not begin until about 10:45 PM local time, Senator Sanders repeatedly pointed to the vast number of young people who support him.

“Young people understand that they are the future of America and they intend to help shape the future.”

“The American people in my view will never support a candidate whose campaign theme is bigotry,” Sanders said. “We will not allow Donald Trump to become president of the United States.”

“You all know it is more than Bernie. It is all of us together. It is what this movement is about.” 

“We will continue to fight for every vote and every delegate.”

President Barack Obama called the Vermont Senator several hours ago, and thanked him “for energizing millions of Americans with his commitment to issues like fighting economic inequality and special interests’ influence on our politics,” the White House said in a statement. Senator Sanders will head home to Burlington Wednesday morning, then fly to Washington, D.C. to meet with the president on Thursday.

At Senator Sanders’ request, the two “will meet at the White House on Thursday to continue their conversation about the significant issues at stake in this election that matter most to America’s working families. The President looks forward to continuing the conversation with Senator Sanders about how to build on the extraordinary work he has done to engage millions of Democratic voters, and to build on that enthusiasm in the weeks and months ahead.”

Earlier Tuesday evening The New York Times reported Senator Sanders will lay off “at least half his campaign staff Wednesday.”

“Some campaign workers may move into jobs at Mr. Sanders’s Senate office, but others will be terminated,” the Times says, citing sources close to the campaign.

Tuesday night Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary in New Jersey, giving her the majority of pledged delegates, and effectively securing for her the title of presumptive nominee, which the news media had declared her Monday evening. Secretary Clinton also won primaries in South Dakota, and New Mexico, while Senator Sanders won North Dakota and Montana. California as of this report has yet to be called but Hillary Clinton currently holds a strong double-digit lead over Sen. Sanders.

 

This is a breaking news and developing story. Details may change. This story will be updated, and NCRM will likely publish follow-up stories on this news. Stay tuned and refresh for updates.

 

Image by Penn State via Flickr and a CC license