Sanders Won’t Commit to Bowing Out Before Convention If It Is Clear He Won’t Win Nomination

Wednesday, MSNBC’s Kasie Hunt grilled 2020 presidential hopeful, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) about leaving the race before the convention if it becomes clear he can’t win the nomination.

Partial transcript as follows:

HUNT: If it’s clear that you are not going to be the Democratic nominee, will you leave the race before the convention?

SANDERS: I intend to be the Democratic nominee.

HUNT: But if you are not? You stayed in last time and some people say that you hurt Hillary Clinton’s candidacy.

SANDERS: No, some people say that if maybe that system was not rigged against me I would have won the nomination and defeated Donald Trump. That’s what some people say. So I think we’re going to play it out, I think I am —

HUNT: So you would take the risk that you might give Donald Trump an advantage?

SANDERS: Are you asking that of every candidate?

HUNT: If it’s clear that you are not going to win the nomination will you concede?

SANDERS: Right now we are planning to win the democratic nomination. I’m proud of the campaigns in Iowa and New Hampshire and our grassroots support and the fact that we have a million volunteers. Our goal right now is to win it. By the way, as you you might know, poll after poll shows me beating Trump by 8, 9 or 10 points. We’re going to beat Trump and win the Democratic nomination.

HUNT: Are you a Democrat?

SANDERS: Of course I’m a Democrat. This is a Democratic national convention — a Democratic primary here.

HUNT: All right, that’s an easier answer to that question than I feel we got in 2016. Senator Bernie Sanders, thank you very much.

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