Putting an end to his presidential campaign Tuesday, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders endorsed former opponent and presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton at an event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, vowing to do everything he can to get her elected this fall.
But will a Sanders endorsement be enough to convince the avowed socialist’s ardent supporters to grudgingly vote for Clinton in November, or even vote at all?
In the Valley, Sanders drew crowds of thousands to rallies at Springfield and at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
“You don’t have to fall in love to support somebody,” said Leo Maley, a Sanders supporter from Amherst.
Maley, an active volunteer in the Sanders campaign, said losing is never easy, especially for those who gave their best efforts. He will cast his vote for Clinton this fall, and he expects others to follow suit. Clinton is the obvious choice in the Nov. 8 election, Maley said.
Maley said he could not bring himself to vote for Bill Clinton years ago because he was wary of policies that were more corporate than progressive.
“I think the majority of people will vote for (Hillary) Clinton with varying degrees of enthusiasm,” Maley said. “There was enough enthusiasm for her that she won … And we cannot have (Republican Donald) Trump.”
The timing of the endorsement, less than two weeks before the Democratic National Convention begins in Philadelphia, makes sense, according to Maley.
“Bernie said from the beginning he would support the Democratic nominee. He’s keeping his word,” Maley said. “There is no reason for him to do this earlier than he did.”
Maley said Sanders likely held off endorsing Clinton while the Democratic Party finalized its platform, using his candidacy as leverage to push for policy. Because of Sanders, the party moved to the left on public higher education and health care, Maley said.
Gerald Friedman, the University of Massachusetts Amherst economics professor who gained publicity for a study testing the validity of Sanders’ economic proposals, said he too believes that many Sanders supporters will choose Clinton in the fall.
“He was never going to be elected. It was always about building a movement,” Friedman said. “His people mostly will turn out for her.”
Friedman said he has been donating money to both campaigns for months. He was rooting for Sanders, “the socialist from Brooklyn,” but said he will be satisfied with a Clinton presidency, especially against Trump.
“It’s not just about her. It’s no longer the favorite, but the better of the two choices,” Friedman said.
When it comes to the droves of college-aged voters who crowded Sanders rallies and called for free higher education, Friedman predicts many will stay engaged in the political process despite their candidate of choice bowing out of the race.
“There is a great divide between those who are politically active and those who are not. If you’re involved in politics you tend to stay involved, and the people who are not involved tend not to get involved,” Friedman said. “The Sanders campaign drew those people in.”
Matt Barron, chairman of the Chesterfield Democratic committee and owner of political consulting company MLB Research, said Clinton’s challenge establishing trust with voters will continue. He expects Sanders voters to be split when it comes time to cast their votes.
“Some people will be on board because the thought of a Trump presidency is repellent to them. But another percentage will not get on board because they don’t trust Clinton,” Barron said.
Barron expects some portion of the electorate who supported Sanders will abstain from voting in the presidential race and only vote for legislators and ballot questions, or choose a third-party candidate such as Jill Stein of the Green Party or Libertarian Gary Johnson rather than vote for Clinton or Trump. Older folks who remember the scandals and political fights of Bill Clinton’s years in office may have a hard time voting for another Clinton this time around, he said.
Barron said the timing of the endorsement indicates Sanders felt strongly about establishing the Democratic platform before ending his candidacy, though he has come under fire for not doing so sooner. The final draft of the platform was approved in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday.
“I’m not sure the platform is worth much … Does anybody remember the 2008 platform or the 2012 platform?” Barron asked.
But Sanders clearly felt it was important, Barron said, as the timing of the endorsement indicates.