Senator Bernie Sanders has issued a statement of support and congratulations after the election of Joe Biden, who was announced as winner of the presidential race on Saturday.
Sanders, however, did not directly congratulate Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victories.
“Through our continued grassroots organizing, let us create a government that works for ALL and now the few,” he wrote. “Let us create a nation built on justice, not greed and bigotry.”
I want to congratulate all those who worked so hard to make this historic day possible. Now, through our continued grassroots organizing, let us create a government that works for ALL and not the few. Let us create a nation built on justice, not greed and bigotry.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) November 7, 2020
Sanders dropped out of the presidential race in April, despite a strong showing in the first three states that voted in the Democratic primary.
He repeatedly pointed to grassroots organizers as helping to make Biden’s victory possible.
In October, Sanders said in an interview with the left-wing congresswomen known as the Squad, “Our first task we’ve got to defeat the worst president in modern history in this country and number two we organize our people to make sure that Biden becomes the most progressive president since FDR.” He continued that Biden’s proposals had become stronger since the primary but still didn’t go as far as “we would want.”
On the eve of the election, Sanders tweeted, “Fire Trump. Keep Fauci. Wear a mask. End the war on science. VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!”
Fire Trump. Keep Fauci. Wear a mask. End the war on science. VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) November 2, 2020
Sanders’ platform in both elections was more progressive than the more centrist Democratic policies espoused by Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020, focusing on environmental, racial and economic justice. Young people especially sparked to Sanders and his proposals, helping him gain traction before the 2020 primary. When he bowed out of the race, the 79-year old senator said in a statement, “It was not long ago that people considered these ideas radical and fringe. Today, they are mainstream ideas. Many of them are already being implemented in cities and states across the country.”