US senator Bernie Sanders has dropped out of the race to become US President, clearing the way for former vice-president Joe Biden to become the Democratic party's nominee. The 78-year-old self-described Democratic socialist made the announcement to suspend his campaign for the US Presidential elections on a conference call before addressing his supporters online.
"I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful. Vice president Biden will be the nominee. I congratulate Joe Biden, a very decent man, who I will work with to move our progressive ideas forward," he said.
Sanders had challenged Hillary Clinton's nomination as Democratic party's nominee for the US Presidential election 2016. He was even the front-runner in the 2020 race in the first three state-wide contests before slipping behind Biden. Sanders knitted his election campaign around the issues of healthcare and the working-class.
Healthcare for all, free public college, raising taxes on the wealthy and increasing the minimum wage were among the promises Sanders had made during his campaign and garnered the support of young voters. He, however, failed to woo the African-American voters across the southern states in the primary elections of the Democratic party.
What Sanders said about his campaign
"Together we have transformed American consciousness as to what kind of nation we can become, and have taken this country a major step forward in the never-ending struggle for economic justice, social justice, racial justice, and environmental justice," Sanders said.
The leftist senator further added that he would still be on the ballots in states that have not yet voted in the primaries to influence the party's general election campaign and gather delegates. "Together, standing united, we will go forward to defeat Donald Trump, the most dangerous president in modern American history," he added.
Reacting to the development, Biden hailed Sanders "as one of the most powerful voices" in the US. He said, "I know Bernie well. He's a good man, a great leader, and one of the most powerful voices for change in our country. And it's hard to sum up his contributions to our politics in one, single tweet. So I won't try to."
