NEW YORK, May 5 (UPI) — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders vows to remain in the primary race “until the last vote is cast” in June.
Sanders said in an interview Thursday with NPR it’s a good thing that he’s staying in the race. Rather than preventing voters from supporting Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee, he is boosting the political process.
“I think we are perpetuating the political revolution by significantly increasing the level of political activity that we’re seeing in this country,” the Vermont senator said.
“I think it is good for the United States of America, good for the Democratic Party, to have a vigorous debate, to engage people in the political process.”
Sanders said by energizing voters, Democrats’ turnout will be high in the November general election.
“So I’m going to do everything I can to stimulate political discourse in this country and get young people, working people, involved in the political process,” he said.
That means he will stay in the race until after Washington, D.C.’s Democratic primary June 14. Presidential primaries are one week earlier in California, New Jersey, Montana, New Mexico and South Dakota, and a caucus in North Dakota.
Despite Clinton’s massive delegate lead, “we think we have a path toward victory — admittedly it is a narrow path,” Sanders said.
He would need 65 percent of all remaining pledged delegates and 82 percent of all delegates — including remaining super delegates — to surpass Clinton overall, according to NPR.
According to RealClearPolitics, Clinton has 1,683 pledged delegates and 522 superdelegates for a total of 2,205 compared with 1,401 total delegates (1,362 pledged, 39 superdelegates) for Sanders. A total of 2,382 are needed to clinch the nomination.
In an interview with CBS, he said it’s essential for presumptive Republican candidateDonald Trump to be beaten.
“I think that Mr. Trump would be a disaster for this country,” he said.
