Sanders could conceivably win Wisconsin and outperform expectations in Ohio. He could perform better than expected overall and perhaps wield a bit more leverage at the Democratic National Convention. Then again, Sanders’s ability to negotiate concessions may well be strongest now, when he can offer Biden months more to focus on beating Donald Trump. That influence could wane in coming months with each successive primary contest that he decisively loses.
As Congress weighs emergency relief measures, Sanders could exert more influence focusing on policy in Washington, in his capacity as a sitting senator, than in debates with Biden, repeating calls for a democratic socialist future as the public is focused on the next year … or week.
Dropping out doesn’t prevent Sanders from continuing to speak out.
And “deepening the association of Bernie-ism with a failure to accept political reality and disinterest in the Democratic Party’s greater good seems counterproductive to its long-term goals,” Jonathan Chait argues.
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