Sanders raises eyebrows with move to amass delegates for convention ‘influence,’ lack of Biden backing
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday suspended his presidential campaign and acknowledged that “Vice President Biden will be the nominee.”
But the populist firebrand from Vermont made it crystal clear that his name will remain on the Democratic primary ballot going forward.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I will stay on the ballot in all remaining states and continue to gather delegates,” the senator said while announcing the end of his presidential bid. “We must continue working to assemble as many delegates as possible at the Democratic convention where we will be able to exert significant influence over the party platform and other functions.”
Sanders has always stressed that his two presidential campaigns were more than just that – that they were a political revolution.
And on Wednesday, the senator emphasized that “while this campaign is coming to an end, our movement is not ... the fight for justice is what our campaign has been about. The fight for justice is what our movement remains about.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}His decision to openly rally supporters to help him win delegates to ensure influence at the convention -- and the absence of any official endorsement of the now-presumptive nominee -- even as he suspended his campaign did not go unnoticed.
President Trump, for one, gleefully pointed out the disconnect.
"Wow, Bernie is unwilling to give up his delegates, and wants more of them! What’s that all about?" he tweeted.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}If Biden and his team were miffed by Sanders' decision to keep his name on the ballot, they didn’t show it publicly.
The former vice president praised Sanders, saying “you haven’t just run a political campaign; you’ve created a movement. And make no mistake about it, we believe it’s a movement that is as powerful today as it was yesterday.”
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}And speaking directly to Sanders’ legions of younger and progressive supporters, Biden tweeted: “I know that I need to earn your votes. And I know that might take time. But I want you to know that I see you, I hear you, and I understand the urgency of this moment,” Biden said. “I hope you'll join us. You're more than welcome: You're needed."
A longtime Democratic consultant who’s close to the former vice president and some of his top advisers told Fox News that Biden’s response “was very gracious.”
He noted that unlike the tensions four years ago between Sanders and eventual nominee Hillary Clinton, “there’s no animosity between Bernie and the VP.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}And he pointed to Sanders highlighting in his speech that Biden’s “a very decent man.”
The consultant – who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely – said that “we’re moving forward” and predicted that “Bernie’s people will come along.”
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But another longtime Biden friend voiced concern that Sanders didn’t specifically endorse Biden in his speech.
Veteran New Hampshire state Sen. Lou D’Allesandro – a top Biden supporter and surrogate in the first-in-the-nation primary state and general election battleground state – told Fox News that Sanders “should be supporting Biden and throwing his support to the former vice president.”
D’Allesandro noted that both Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has yet to endorse anyone since ending her presidential bid on March 5, “are both hanging out – so to speak – without throwing their full support behind the presumptive nominee.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He worried this could become an issue going forward “because we need a united front and the sooner the better.”
Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report