Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday dropped out of the 2020 presidential race, leaving the way open for a general election between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden. 

Sanders announced his move in a conference call with staff after he suffered a series of crushing primary defeats, and the coronavirus pandemic stalled his campaign for weeks. While speaking to his supporters, he said the path to winning the Democratic presidential nomination is “virtually impossible,” as he did not want to put effort into a doomed campaign in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak. 

“I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour,” said Sanders as he live-streamed from his Vermont home.

On Wednesday, Sanders congratulated Biden but did not explicitly endorse him.  In a statement after Sanders left the race, Biden said his former rival has “created a movement” and “changed the dialogue in America.” While he acknowledged that he has different views from Sanders on how quickly to move toward policy goals, he said he would continue dialogue with the senator and his supporters. 

Sanders campaigned on the promise of a political “revolution” and touted his signature single-payer “Medicare for All” plan on the campaign trail. He had also promised to forgive student debt and pass free universal child care. 

The senator lapped the field in fundraising with perhaps the most successful small-dollar donor operation in the history of U.S. elections. On the one hand, Sanders saw sustained success among young and Latino voters, and on the other, Biden consistently won over black voters and older Democrats in key states such as Texas and Michigan.

After the senator came out of the race on Wednesday, Trump continued his efforts to try to win over disillusioned supporters, many of whom do not even identify with the Democratic Party. He tweeted that the “Bernie people should come to the Republican Party,” apparently citing their agreement on trade protectionism.