He announced his decision to campaign staff Wednesday morning.
Senator Bernie Sanders is suspending his campaign for president, after falling behind former Vice President Joe Biden in recent primary contests. He announced his decision to campaign staff Wednesday morning.
Sanders adopted a sad but positive tone as he informed his staff, according to an aide on the call.
"The struggle goes on. This was never about Bernie Sanders, this was always about the movement," the aide said.
Sanders addressed supporters in a live streamed speech at 11:45 a.m. ET.
Sanders had a strong finish in early primaries, winning in New Hampshire and Nevada, but faltered after the Super Tuesday primaries. Many of his former opponents have endorsed Biden, who is now the only candidate remaining in the race.
Sanders was a fundraising juggernaut throughout the campaign, raising over $46 million in February alone. As in his primary bid in 2016 against Hillary Clinton, Sanders's support for Medicare for All was a key issue throughout the campaign. Although Elizabeth Warren embraced the idea of Medicare for All, other candidates, including Biden, balked at the $30 trillion price tag.
In an interview with 60 Minutes in February after his Nevada win, Sanders said that the idea of a "political revolution" was popular among voters tired of the status quo.
"The ideas that seemed radical four years ago are now kind of mainstream," Sanders said.
This story was originally published by CBS News on April 8, 2020 at 11:28 p.m. ET.
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