Bernie Sanders to "assess campaign" in coming weeks following primary losses
Washington — As former Vice President Joe Biden has continued to widen his delegate lead with a sweep of three delegate-rich states that held primaries Tuesday, Senator Bernie Sanders plans to speak with supporters in the coming weeks to "assess his campaign," his campaign manager said Wednesday.
"The next primary contest is at least three weeks away," Faiz Shakir, Sanders' campaign manager, said in a statement. "Sen. Sanders is going to be having conversations with supporters to assess his campaign. In the immediate term, however, he is focused on the government response to the coronavirus outbreak and ensuring that we take care of working people and the most vulnerable."
Biden walked away with victories in Florida, Illinois and Arizona on Tuesday, increasing his lead over Sanders to 291 delegates and further cementing his place as the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Sanders has stalled in the wake of Super Tuesday on March 3, when 14 states held their primaries. Biden won nearly all of the states that held their primaries then, including states Sanders won in 2016, and racked up victories in Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri and Idaho last week.
In an email to supporters, Shakir laid out what is coming next for Sanders. The senator will be in Washington on Wednesday for a vote on an economic relief package passed by the House early Saturday, which is "phase two" of a multi-pronged legislative approach to addressing the coronavirus pandemic. After the vote, Sanders will return to Vermont to begin discussions with supporters.
The email did not include a link where backers can contribute to Sanders' campaign, but instead directed recipients to his proposals for addressing the coronavirus, which the Vermont senator laid out in a speech Tuesday.
It's unclear when the next primary contests will be held as the nation grapples with the coronavirus pandemic. Ohio, which was supposed to hold its primary Tuesday, postponed the contest until June due to the outbreak, and several other states have done the same.
Georgia was next on the election calendar with its primary March 24, but has delayed the contest. Voters in Hawaii and Alaska, meanwhile, are set to head to the polls April 4.
Cara Korte contributed reporting.