Late Tuesday night, Democratic candidate for president Bernie Sanders stood before a crowd of screaming supporters and shrugged off the day's loses in four of six state primaries and caucuses.
Amid screams of "Don’t quit Bernie" from the overflow crowd in Santa Monica, Calif., Sanders obliged, vowing to stay until the very end in the race that is all but lost.
With pledged and unpledged or "superdelegates," Clinton became the first woman to win the nomination of a major political party in the United States. In her victory speech, she thanked supporters, remembered her mother and honored those who fought for women’s voting rights. Despite Clinton’s lead in pledged delegates, Sanders virtually ignored the historic moment in his speech and promised to stay in the race until the Democratic convention in Philadelphia in July.
Here's what some are saying about Sanders' decision to stay in the fight for the Democratic nomination. (Click here to read the transcript of Sanders' California speech.)
An edgy crowd
“Despite a night of disappointing losses, Bernie Sanders vowed Tuesday night to continue his campaign and to take his fight all the way to the convention in Philadelphia. While Hillary Clinton secured the delegates she needed Monday to become the presumptive presidential nominee, Sanders channeled the defiance of his supporters as he took the stage shortly before 11 p.m. PT. The crowd was on edge -- angry with the press and worried that he would give in to the growing pressure from Democratic leaders to bow out of the race.”
Revolutions don’t die easily
“Revolutions rarely give way to gracious expressions of defeat. And so, despite the crushing California results that rolled in for him on Tuesday night, despite the insurmountable delegate math and the growing pleas that he end his quest for the White House, SenatorBernie Sanders took to the stage in Santa Monica and basked, bragged and vowed to fight on. In a speech of striking stubbornness, he ignored the history-making achievement of his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, who became the first woman in American history to clinch the presidential nomination of a major political party.”
Sanders vows to fight on
“Hillary Clinton may have won the delegates she needs for the Democratic nomination, but Bernie Sanders isn't going anywhere just yet. Despite some speculation that he'd drop out of the race Tuesday night, Sanders said at a speech in California that he'd "continue the fight in the last primary in Washington, DC" next week.”
Not going gentle into that good night
“The Democratic primary contest that no one saw coming between the woman who would be president and a gnarly socialist senator from Vermont is finally, finally—but, ahem, not entirely—over. Even before Tuesday’s primaries, the Associated Press had counted enough solid delegates, committed and “super,” to declare Hillary Clinton the putative nominee. And after her more-than-convincing primary victories in New Jersey and California last night … she decided it was time for a victory lap. From above the old glass ceiling, she reached down to Bernie Sanders, congratulating him on his campaign and, looking back at her own emotions in 2008, saying she knew well how hard it is to concede. So much for noblesse oblige.”
The campaign as a revolution
“Bernie Sanders early Wednesday morning pledged to "fight on" in the Democratic primary, even after Hillary Clinton secured the delegates needed to clinch the nomination. "Next Tuesday we continue the fight in the last primary in Washington, D.C.," Sanders said, as the crowd of supporters roared in Santa Monica. “And then we take our fight for social, economic, racial and environmental justice to Philadelphia," Sanders said, promising to continue his campaign all the way to the convention in July.”
Doing the arithmetic
“Sen. Bernie Sanders isn’t giving up, at least for now, though the end appears to be coming near. Hours after Hillary Clinton declared herself the winner of the Democratic nomination, Sanders pledged to continue his fight through the last primary on June 14 in Washington, D.C., where he will hold a rally Thursday, and then at the Democratic Party's convention in Philadelphia next month. "I am pretty good in arithmetic and I know that the fight in front of us is a very, very steep fight," he told cheering supporters at an election night rally in Santa Monica. "But we will continue to fight for every vote and every delegate ... The struggle continues!" "
Sanders to meet with Obama
“On a night when Hillary Clinton celebrated clinching the Democratic Party presidential nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) refused to concede, vowing to fight on to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in July. … Sanders acknowledged that Clinton had some victories on the night, but refused to concede the California primary, or the larger nomination fight, vowing to compete for every vote remaining. He reminded his supporters that he had won a total of 22 states thus far, and added that he would be meeting with President Barack Obama on Thursday to discuss their common goals.”
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