There’s only one thing left for Bernie Sanders to do

| 6:04 pm EDT September 18, 2019
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This week Elizabeth Warren received the 2020 endorsement of the Working Families Party, which had endorsed Bernie Sanders in 2016. Then Warren held a massive rally in New York City. Then last night, new poll numbers confirmed an existing overall trend in the polling averages: Warren is continuing to climb, and she’s now definitively in second place.

Elizabeth Warren now has a real chance to become the 2020 Democratic nominee. She’s the only candidate of any note who has been climbing in the polls. She’s still nine points behind Joe Biden in the latest polling averages, but that’s a lot closer than the nearly twenty points she trailed him by a few months ago.

Then there’s Elizabeth Warren’s old friend Bernie Sanders, who does not have a realistic chance of being the nominee. His 2020 support topped out awhile ago, and has since tapered off. The poll numbers say that each time Sanders and Warren appear on the debate stage together, some more of his supporters switch over to her. He’s on a downward trajectory, and while he can remain in the race for as long as he wants, he has a choice to make.

If Bernie Sanders drops out and endorses Elizabeth Warren – early enough for it to still matter – it can put things in motion to where Warren likely becomes the Democratic nominee, and thus likely becomes president. Bernie can ensure that the next president is someone he respects, and who shares his desire to deliver economic equality and reform.

On the other hand, if Bernie Sanders remains in the race for too long – to the point that he and Elizabeth Warren begin splitting delegates in the early primary states – Bernie will likely be handing the 2020 Democratic nomination to Joe Biden.

None of this is to suggest that Bernie Sanders owes it to anyone to drop out early. There are seventeen other candidates who are polling a lot lower than he is, some of whom should have dropped out a long time ago. Bernie has a right to stay in the primary race for as long as he wants. But either way, he’s not going to be the nominee. He does, however, get to cast the biggest vote of all when it comes to who does end up being the nominee.