BURLINGTON, Vt., June 11 (UPI) — Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders returned home to Vermont over the weekend where he was scheduled to huddle with an inner circle of advisers to decide what’s next for his campaign.
Sanders’ path to the Democratic nomination all but vanished this week when his rival, Hillary Clinton, secured the overall number of delegates needed to claim victory at the convention, then posted a landslide victory in California, where Sanders had staked a last-ditch effort to convince leaders in the party he is the stronger candidate in a general election.
With the news she is the party’s presumptive nominee, Clinton then racked up endorsements from party leaders, beginning with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, who had pledged to remain neutral until the primaries ended.
Clinton also collected the endorsement of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a leader of the party’s liberal bloc, who had pointedly declined to endorse either presidential candidate.
Sanders thus far has refused to relent to Clinton and said Thursday after a private sit-down with Obama he will “of course” compete in the final nominating contest on the calendar, the District of Columbia primary on Tuesday.
He held a large rally in D.C. on Thursday night, where he did not mention Clinton by name, or acknowledge she has become the party’s presumptive nominee.
As for what happens after Tuesday’s final primary, Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs said the candidate, his wife, Jane, and 20 or so of their closest advisers and supporters will discuss the matter in Vermont on Sunday.
“He and Jane invited a couple dozen key supporters from around the country to come to Burlington,” Briggs said. “It will be a broad-ranging discussion.”
Though his will not in all likelihood be the name at the top of the Democratic ticket, the political clout Sanders has built up by rallying his steadfast supporters could allow him to write just about any other ticket he wishes.
ABC News reports Sanders could parlay his impressive campaign into a leadership post in the Senate, where his newfound popularity could make him a gatekeeper for liberal issues. He could also seek a prominent Cabinet post, should Clinton go on to win the general election — as she herself did when accepting Obama’s offer to become secretary of state in 2008.
One thing Sanders has made clear is his desire for issues related to income inequality to be represented strongly in the Democratic platform, written at the convention next month. While the platform is a nonbonding document, it unites Democrats across the country around a common set of principles and ideals.
Sanders has said he would like to see several of his policy proposals such as a $15 per hour minimum wage included in the platform.
