Sanders Endorses Biden After Leaving 2020 Presidential Race

Left: Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks at a Bernie 2020 rally at the Stifel Theater in downtown St. Louis, Mo., on March 9, 2020. (Tim Vizer/AFP via Getty Images) Right: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks to supporters during a campaign stop at Berston Field House in Flint, Mich., on March 9, 2020. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

After dropping out of the presidential race on April 8, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he is endorsing former Vice President Joe Biden in the general election against President Donald Trump in November.

“We have to make Trump a one-term president and we need you in the White House,” Sanders said in a streaming video with Biden on April 13.

Sanders’s move to support Biden, considered a moderate, is a significant step toward bringing unity in the fractured Democratic Party as it attempts to unseat Trump. The Vermont senator, who is a self-described socialist, hinted about his intentions in a Twitter post before he appeared on Biden’s livestream.

Sanders drew widespread support and netted a series of early primary wins in the Democratic campaign, prompting concerns about his electability against Trump among members of the moderate wing of the party. There were fears that if he were to face off against Trump, voters would consider him too left-wing.

However, Biden was able to pick up momentum in South Carolina and later in the Super Tuesday contests after he posted dismal showings in Iowa, New Hampshire, and other states. The outbreak of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, meanwhile, threw the 2020 race into disarray, and several remaining states announced they would postpone voting in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus.

Aside from Sanders’s endorsement, there have also been fears that Biden has struggled to stay relevant as everyday life has been upended, with schools and numerous businesses closing. The 77-year-old also hasn’t been able to make any public appearances, hold rallies, speak to voters directly, and has been relegated to holding livestreams and speaking to media outlets from his home.

Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks about responses to the CCP virus pandemic at an event in Wilmington, Del., on March 12, 2020. Carlos Barria/Reuters

The virus originated in Wuhan, China, and has since spread to around 200 countries and territories around the world. The United States is currently in the midst of an outbreak that has left more than 560,000 people infected and more than 23,000 dead.

In recent days, Biden has also been forced to respond to claims that he sexually assaulted a former aide in the early 1990s, when he was a senator from Delaware. His campaign has denied the allegations to media outlets.

In a statement, Biden deputy campaign manager and communications director Kate Bedingfield told The Associated Press that claims made by former aide Tara Reade are false.

The former vice president has also “dedicated his public life to changing the culture and the laws around violence against women,” she told AP while noting that he helped pass the Violence Against Women Act. “What is clear about this claim: it is untrue. This absolutely did not happen,” Bedingfield added.