Bye-bye Bernie

On 8 April Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, effectively opening to road to Joe Biden to become the party's official candidate for the White House in November's election.

The two men were the surviving candidates in the primary campaign, but Mr Sanders' delegate numbers were looking weak before the disruption of the primaries by the coronavirus pandemic. Several primaries have been postponed, although Wisconsin maintained its in-person voting on 7 April. Neither candidate actively campaigned for it, though they have been holding live-streaming campaign events.

Mr Sanders thanked his supporters by Live Stream on Wednesday.

This was Mr Sanders' second consecutive bid for the nomination, and, at age 78, will probably be his last. As in the 2016 campaign, he drew great and enthusiastic support from young voters, with his left-wing policies on free education and healthcare. But he failed to win over the African-American cohort that is a vital element of the Democratic electorate.

Sanders' name will remain on the ballots in the remaining primaries, if and when they take place, but he has suspended campaigning and fundraising.

He thanked his many supporters, assuring them, "The future of this country is with our ideas."

Mr Biden echoed that, addressing Sanders' supporters, "You will be heard by me. As you say: Not me, Us," Mr Biden said.

Disrupted Calendar
Sanders' withdrawal means Biden can start actively campaigning for the November election, as far as is possible with current restrictions. The Democratic party has announced it is postponing its convention, which will officially name the candidate and decide on his platform, by a month to mid-August.