BURLINGTON, Vt., June 8 (UPI) — Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders is set to lay off about half of his campaign staff the day after a crushing defeat in California, the last state to vote in a marathon primary.
The layoffs, according to The New York Times, which sourced two anonymous individuals in the campaign, are said to be mostly in Sanders’ advance team, which helps coordinate upcoming events and travel logistics. The Times said some of those who have been let go will be offered positions in Sanders’ Senate office, but most will be out of a job.
Politico said top campaign staff will remain in place, including campaign managerJeff Weaver and strategist Tad Devine. The remaining staff will focus solely on the upcoming District of Columbia primary on June 14, the final nominating contest on the primary calendar, and on the Democratic convention itself.
Word of the layoffs broke Tuesday night with polls still open in California, where Sanders had staked hopes on a big victory to bolster his flagging candidacy. Instead, Clinton delivered a 13-point romp in the Golden State, a day after media outlets proclaimed her the presumptive nominee thanks to the support of additional superdelegates.
Despite Clinton’s successes, Sanders has shown no signs he intends to quit campaigning. He said in a speech Tuesday he will continue to “fight to Philadelphia,” the site of the Democratic convention next month.
Sanders has refused to accept media predictions of Clinton’s nomination, arguing superdelegates — the party elite allowed to cast a nominating ballot for any candidate of their choosing at the convention — can still change their minds and vote for him over Clinton. Sanders has said he will continue to lobby superdelegates who are undecided or with Clinton to come to his side at a brokered convention.
After Tuesday’s primaries, Sanders returned to his home in Burlington, Vt., Wednesday. He is scheduled to travel to Washington on Thursday for campaign events and an in-person meeting with President Barack Obama, which Sanders requested when the two spoke over the weekend.
