Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders responded to his electoral defeats Tuesday night by vowing to stay in the race and fight it out until the Democratic National Convention in July.
{mosads}“I congratulate Secretary [Hillary] Clinton on her victories tonight, and I look forward to issue-oriented campaigns in the 14 contests to come,” the Vermont senator said in a statement.
“I am proud that we were able to win a resounding victory tonight in Rhode Island, the one state with an open primary where independents had a say in the outcome. Democrats should recognize that the ticket with the best chance of winning this November must attract support from independents as well as Democrats. I am proud of my campaign’s record in that regard.”
Clinton, a former secretary of State, won four of the five primaries held Tuesday, tightening her grasp on the Democratic nomination. Still, Sanders touted his campaign’s impact on the direction of the party as reason to keep moving forward.
“The people in every state in this country should have the right to determine who they want as president and what the agenda of the Democratic Party should be. That’s why we are in this race until the last vote is cast,” he said.