Who is Bernie Sanders and why did the Democrat end his 2020 US Presidential election campaign against Donald Trump? – The Sun

US Politician Bernie Sanders has pulled out of the 2020 Presidential race to clear the way for fellow Democrat Joe Biden.

Here's all we know about the Vermont senator and why he suspended his campaign.

Why did Bernie Sanders pull out of the 2020 Presidential campaign?

The 78-year-old Vermont senator announced he was suspending his Presidential campaign on April 8, 2020 during a conference call with staff.

His departure from the 2020 race cleared the path for Joe Biden, who has enjoyed a steady growth of supporters since a surprising blowout victory in the South Carolina primary in late February.

President Donald Trump tweeted about Sanders' exit minutes after the news was revealed.

What are Bernie Sanders' 2020 election odds?

Bernie Sanders, whose insurgent 2016 presidential campaign reshaped Democratic politics, announced he was running for president on February 19, 2019.

At the time he had a 14/1 chance of winning the 2020 presidential race, according to Oddschecker.

But a poll showed Biden lost support but extended his lead after the Democratic debates, ahead of Sanders, who plummeted since a pre-debate survey in June 2019.

What was his platform?

It was Sanders' second bid for the Democratic ticket in four years as he hoped to reignite the progressive support from his 2016 campaign.

Although the Vermont Senator is an independent, he joined forces with Democrats for key votes.

"We began the political revolution in the 2016 campaign, and now it's time to move that revolution forward," he said when he announced his tilt at the presidency in an interview with Vermont Public Radio.

"Our campaign is not only about defeating Donald Trump.

"Our campaign is about transforming our country and creating a government based on the principles of economic, social, racial and environmental justice."

An enthusiastic progressive who embraces proposals ranging from Medicare for All to free college tuition, Sanders stunned the Democratic establishment in 2016 with his spirited challenge to Hillary Clinton.

While she ultimately became the party's nominee, his campaign helped lay the groundwork for the leftward lurch that has dominated Democratic politics in the Trump era.

The question for Sanders was whether he could stand out in a crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates who also embrace many of his policy ideas and are newer to the national political stage.

That's far different from 2016, when he was Clinton's lone progressive adversary.

Still, there was no question Sanders was a formidable contender for the Democratic nomination.

He won more than 13 million votes in 2016 and dozens of primaries and caucuses.

He opened his campaign with a nationwide organisation and a proven small-dollar fundraising effort.

The senator said he wanted to install many of his progressive ideas from his previous presidential campaign such as universal healthcare, raising the minimum wage and reducing student debt.

Sanders admitted it was "a very different campaign" compared top 2016 because he will being fighting against top Democrats for the nomination who also share his ideas.

Sanders described his White House bid as a "continuation of what we did in 2016," noting that policies he advocated for then were now embraced by the Democratic Party.

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