Bernie Sanders vows to press on with campaign despite latest primary losses

Bernie Sanders said Wednesday he's moving ahead with his Democratic presidential campaign, after disappointing results for a second straight week in multiple primaries.

He told reporters in Burlington, Vt., that he's not quitting, but he seemed forthright about the challenges in securing the nomination.

Sanders acknowledged "we are losing the debate over electability" to former vice-president Joe Biden, a candidate many Democrats think will have a better chance of defeating U.S. President Donald Trump in the fall. But he said he wants to force Biden to confront issues of economic inequality and other issues important to Sanders' supporters.

According to analysis by The Associated Press, Biden picked up at least 177 new delegates in Tuesday's voting while Sanders got 111. Early Wednesday, the AP estimated Biden had a total of 823 and Sanders 663.

Michigan was a particularly bitter defeat, a state with 125 delegates at stake that Sanders won in the Democratic primary four years ago over Hillary Clinton. Sanders also lost Tuesday in Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, while winning the North Dakota caucuses.

The results in Washington state are yet to be determined, with Sanders encouraged by vote counts so far.

One of the few bright notes for Sanders on Tuesday was his strength among young voters, but even that has a downside because they didn't turn out enough to keep him competitive. Sanders won 72 per cent of those under 30 in Missouri and 65 per cent in Michigan, according to AP VoteCast. The senator was also about even with Biden among voters ages 30 to 44.

"The younger generations of this country continue, in very strong numbers, to support our campaign," said Sanders.

Bernie Sanders soldiers on in fight for U.S. Democratic presidential nomination

5 years ago

Duration 1:06

Running second to Joe Biden, Sanders pushes Democratic 'establishment' to fight for younger voters' concerns.

Sanders did not address supporters publicly Tuesday night. Pressure has been growing on him to end his presidential bid and work to unify the party against Trump as Biden has consolidated support from several Democratic officials and erstwhile challengers Mike Bloomberg Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar.

The head of the most powerful super PAC in Democratic politics, Priorities USA, pledged allegiance to Biden as the scope of his latest victory set in on Tuesday night.

"The math is now clear," tweeted priorities chairman Guy Cecil. "Joe Biden is going to be the Democratic nominee for president."

Looks forward to next debate

There were other major warning signs for Sanders on Tuesday. He again struggled to win support from black voters. About 70 per cent of Mississippi's Democratic primary voters were African American, and 86 per cent of them supported Biden, according to an AP VoteCast survey of the electorate.

"There's no sugarcoating it. Tonight's a tough night," New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of Sanders' highest-profile supporters, said on Instagram. "Tonight's a tough night for the movement overall. Tonight's a tough night electorally."

Sanders will have a chance for the first time to confront Biden in a one-on-one debate on Sunday in Phoenix. Arizona is one of four general election battleground states holding primaries on March 17, along with Florida, Illinois and Ohio.

Sanders, in the form of questions,rattled off a series of issues he was going to confront "my friend" Biden with at the debate on Sunday, which will not have an in-person audience due to coronavirus concerns.

The senator, who is an independent but caucuses with the Democrats on Capitol Hill, did not take questions from reporters.