GREENFIELD — Local supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders have expressed disappointment after hearing that the presidential hopeful ended his campaign on Wednesday.
While the Democratic socialist had a strong showing of support in Franklin County, his campaign did not receive enough national momentum to carry him through to the November election. Sanders’ announcement, which comes after a series of losses in state primary elections, makes former Vice President Joe Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge President Donald Trump.
David Cohen, a member of Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution, said he was disappointed, but understood why Sanders chose to end the campaign.
“This whole situation in Wisconsin has showed how hard it would be to continue to campaign,” Cohen said.
The Wisconsin primary was held Tuesday, despite the current COVID-19 health crisis and national guidelines encouraging social distancing. The decision to hold the primaries sparked backlash among voters and state officials, both from Wisconsin and across the country.
“The fight is going to continue,” Cohen noted. “We want to see Trump defeated.”
Cohen said he hopes Biden will implement policies that were backed by Sanders and his supporters. He said the current health crisis shows the need for Medicare for All, and that there is a large number of people in Franklin County who have a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 because of their own underlying health conditions and lack of health care access.
“Those issues aren’t going to go away,” Cohen said.
Greenfield resident Doug Mayo, another Sanders supporter, said he was also disappointed to hear Sanders was dropping from the race. With Biden now seemingly scoring the nomination, Mayo said he will vote for him as the final Democratic candidate.
“I really think (Sanders) had the best ideas, and had the best groundwork,” Mayo said. “I worked for his campaign last time around, too.”
Sanders departure from the race is seen as a blow to progressive political movements, many of which arose during and after his 2016 presidential campaign and fed debates over issues like health care, climate change and the effects of economic inequality.
In a live stream on Wednesday morning, Sanders said he “cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour.”
Though he made it clear he views Biden as the Democratic party’s 2020 nominee, Sanders said he will remain on the ballot in states that still have primaries and will continue to gather delegates.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.