Despite lagging in the delegate count and popular vote, Sanders withheld his endorsement after Clinton became the presumptive nominee, pointing to their core disagreements.
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A Portsmouth, N.H., rally will provide the backdrop Tuesday for the most highly anticipated appearance of the 2016 Democratic presidential race: Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton will share a local stage for the first time since February.
Sanders rode a wave of massive rallies that filled college arenas, where he championed issues, like beating back Wall Street’s influence and overcoming income equality, which energize the liberal wing of the Democratic base, especially young voters and white liberals.
“I have come here today not to talk about the past but to focus on the future”, Sanders said.
“Too many Americans are being left behind and ignored”, Sanders said.
“Secretary Clinton understands that we do not need to have more people in jail than any other country in the world at the exposes of $80 billion a year”, Sanders said in New Hampshire.
But some Sanders supporters are not fully satisfied by Clinton’s concessions on the party platform – most of which centred on education and healthcare – suggesting there may be some room for friction at the Democratic National Convention later this month where Clinton is set to be formally nominated. Do I have concerns with Clinton? Yes.
“It is very easy to forget what Republicans want us to forget, where we were 7.5 years ago when president Obama came into office”, Sanders said, referring to the financial crisis. She echoed her campaign slogan, telling the crowd “we are stronger together”. Sanders’ local steering committee members are invited to sit in a VIP section, and about two dozen of his supporters are scheduled to get their pictures taken with Clinton backstage. “Together we have begun a political revolution to transform America, and that revolution continues”, he said to applause.
Democrats have coalesced around Clinton’s candidacy since she defeated Sanders in primaries last month in California and five other states, led by endorsements from President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and others.
The former director of the Defence Intelligence Agency is now on a short list of potential running mates for the presumptive Republican nominee.
With this past weekend’s approval of the Democratic platform, which included several of Sanders’ campaign planks, including calls for of $15 minimum wage, it appears the Clinton camp had satisfied Sanders’ conditions.
Sanders, said Trump in a tweet, has “totally sold out to Crooked Hillary Clinton”.
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Sanders said he is supporting Clinton because she is prepared to fight to raise the minimum wage, create jobs, expand access to health care and address climate change, while Donald Trump does not share those values.
