Axelrod: Sanders Said He Would Leave if There Was No Path and ‘the Numbers Are Dramatically Bad’

During CNN’s primary coverage on Tuesday, CNN Senior Political Commentator and former Obama adviser David Axelrod cited 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) statement that he won’t stay in the race if there is no path for him to win and stated that, having been on the losing side of campaigns, it’s “a painful thing to have to reconcile with these numbers.” And concluded that “the numbers are dramatically bad for Bernie Sanders at this point.”

Axelrod said, “Bernie Sanders was on television on Sunday, and he said, ‘I’m not a masochist.’ He said, I will not stay in this race if there’s not a path. You look at the four states, big states that are going to vote next week, almost 600 delegates, and he didn’t win any of them. Most of them he lost by significant margins four years ago, and he’s clearly not improving on his performance from four years ago. So, look it — I’ve been on the winning side and the losing side of campaigns. It is a painful thing to have to reconcile with these numbers. And I think it’s important how this ends in terms of rallying those young voters who are going to feel a little bit disenfranchised by this. But, if you’re making a judgment based on the numbers, it clearly — the numbers are dramatically bad for Bernie Sanders at this point.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett