Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) thanked Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who suspended his presidential campaign on Wednesday, despite not endorsing him as the race narrowed to just Sanders and Joe Biden (D).
“Thank you @BernieSanders, for fighting so relentlessly for America’s working families during this campaign,” she said.
“Your fight for progressive ideas moved the conversation and charted a path for candidates and activists that will change the course of our country and party,” she continued.
“That fight does not end today,” she added, promising to work with him in the Senate to “hold the wealthy and well-connected accountable to the people.”
Warren’s statement of gratitude comes over a month after dropping out of the race herself. The former presidential hopeful was on the receiving end of a stream of complaints from several members of the progressive movement, who attributed Sanders’ lackluster Super Tuesday performance to her refusal to drop out of the race.
“I need some space around this and want to take time to think a little more,” Warren told reporters after formally dropping out of the race in March.
“Let’s take a deep breath and think about this for a little bit longer before we all settle in,” she added.
Warren continued to extend her “deep breath” for weeks, refusing to endorse her ideological ally, even as opportunities presented themselves. She appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers last week, telling the host that she was not thinking about endorsing a candidate due to the coronavirus crisis.
“You know, again, I really want to say that, right now, it’s less about the politics and much more about the crisis that our country is in, and I think that’s really where our focus has got to be at this moment,” Warren told Meyers.
“So that’s where I’m keeping my attention right now. We don’t get to do any political rallies at this moment anyway,” she added.
Despite her refusal to formally back Sanders, former members of her staff, under the name “Team Warren,” rallied behind Sanders last month, naming him the “best option for Warren Democrats right now.”
President Trump reacted to Sanders’ departure Wednesday, attributing his poor Super Tuesday performance to Warren.
“Bernie Sanders is OUT! Thank you to Elizabeth Warren. If not for her, Bernie would have won almost every state on Super Tuesday!” he exclaimed.
“This ended just like the Democrats & the DNC wanted, same as the Crooked Hillary fiasco,” he continued, inviting the “Bernie people” to join the Republican Party: