Everyone who knows anything about US politics has known since the South Carolina primary that the chances of Bernie Sanders securing the Democratic presidential nomination were slim. He started off very well but lost momentum quickly. Low youth voter turnout and his lack of support amongst voters of color didn’t help the matter either.

Last night Bernie announced to the world that he was suspending his campaign for the presidency. Even though everyone agreed that he didn’t really have a concrete path to victory, the left-wing of the party was hopeful that the delegate counts would level out to a brokered convention that would lead to a potential Bernie Sanders nomination.

Leftists in the Democratic Party on Wednesday lost all hope when Senator Bernie Sanders, dropped out of the race after acknowledging the former vice president’s insurmountable lead.

“Joe Biden needs to reach out to Bernie’s supporters. I think among the best ways is taking elements among the issues Bernie championed with such passion and embracing them,” said Representative Chuy García, one of the House members who backed Sanders.

“I think it provides a great opening and a point of reference for [Biden] to acknowledge the need for a different system and one that helps provide security [to those] who are uninsured, or underinsured, or have expensive health-care plans they can’t afford,” García added.

“Vice President Biden has to step up and acknowledge all the energy and enthusiasm behind all of this,” Jayapal said, pointing to the Sanders supporting Democrats across the nation.

In a statement shortly after Sanders’ announcement, Biden made a personal appeal to his one-time rival’s base: “Bernie’s supporters: I know that I need to earn your votes. And I know that might take time.”

And  Biden has taken some sizeable steps toward the left on specific issues: He’s backed a proposal from Sanders on student debt and one from Elizabeth Warren on free college, though he has not budged on his opposition to Medicare for All, one of the most significant issues for progressives.

Many progressives believe that this may change, as a wave of Americans are forced to seek treatment for the coronavirus pandemic.