The suspension comes a day after the Wisconsin primary election, though results for the state will not be counted until next week.
With Biden already having secured 1,217 of the pledged delegates, he only needed to win about 46 percent of the remaining delegates to reach the 1,991 target.
Bernie had only received 991 pledged delegates and would need to secure 64 percent of the remaining delegates to win outright or 55 percent to force a brokered convention where unpledged superdelegates would come into play.
“I wish I could give you better news, but I think you know the truth,” said Sanders. “While we are winning the ideological battle…I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful.”
Sanders said that although he understands how some supporters want him to fight to the last ballot, he could not in “good conscience” continue a campaign he knows would not win amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
He also noted that his name will appear on the ballot in the upcoming primary elections so that he can continue gathering delegates for the convention to influence the Democratic Party platform.
In the Texas Democratic primary election on March 3, Biden received 725,562 (34.64 percent) votes while Sanders trailed with 626,339 (29.91 percent). Michael Bloomberg and Elizabeth Warren brought in 300,608 (14.35 percent) and 239,237 (11.42 percent), respectively.
Polling for the general election from the beginning of March showed President Trump ahead of both Biden and Sanders in Texas.
A poll UT Tyler showed Trump ahead of both candidates at 45 percent to 44 percent, with 11 percent in each case saying they would vote for another candidate. Another poll from Marist College showed Trump ahead with 49 percent to 45 percent with each candidate.
Sanders was the marquee hard-left candidate in the race. He supported positions such as the Green New Deal which, if implemented, would be in serious contention with Texas’ energy prowess. One such proposal from Sanders is banning the exportation of crude oil — a ban which existed from the 1970s until 2015 when House Republicans and President Obama struck a deal to remove the ban.
Other Green New Deal provisions include becoming carbon-neutral by 2030, eliminating the use of fossil fuels, and retrofitting all structures with solar panels.
He endorsed other policies such as “Medicare-for-All,” eliminating student loan debt, and raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour.
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Daniel Friend
Daniel Friend is the Marketing and Media Manager for The Texan. After graduating with a double-major in Political Science and Humanities, he wrote for The Texan as a reporter through June 2022. In his spare time, you're likely to find him working on The Testimony of Calvin Lewis, an Abolition of Man-inspired novel and theatrical podcast.
