In a livestream, Sanders shared with his supporters his reasoning, pointing out he had secured around 300 delegates fewer than former Vice President of the United States Joe Biden, saying "the path toward victory is virtually impossible". For a candidate to win the Democratic Party's nomination, a total of at least 1,991 delegates are needed.
Sanders said in his live stream, "I do not make this decision lightly", calling it a "difficult and painful decision". He wrote in a tweet, "while the campaign ends, the struggle for justice continues on". He spoke about affordable higher education, healthcare, and raising the federal minimum wage to USD15 an hour in his announcement.
Sanders' exit from the race left Biden as the party's expected nominee. During an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday, Sanders called Biden a "decent man" but did not immediately offer a full endorsement. On the Republican side, incumbent President of the United States Donald Trump became the Republican Party's presumptive nominee in March.
Sanders was also a contender for the Democratic Party's nomination in the 2016 presidential election. Sanders lost the nomination in 2016 to former United States Secretary of State and former United States Senator from New York Hillary Clinton.
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