Senator Bernie Sanders’s (I., Vt.) presidential campaign on Tuesday announced that Sanders would participate in an April debate with former vice president Joe Biden, if it is held.
The Democratic National Committee had planned to hold a debate on an unspecified date in April, but the committee has not yet announced a site or broadcaster for the debate.
“Senator Sanders is still running for president,” Mike Casca, communications director for the Sanders campaign, told the New York Times. “If there is a debate in April, he plans to be there.”
Sanders has refused to drop out of the presidential race despite Biden’s delegate lead of 1,214-910. The Sanders campaign suffered successive defeats to Biden beginning on Super Tuesday, and the former vice president has ridden a wave of support from moderates and older voters to take the delegate-rich states of Michigan and Florida, winning Texas by a slimmer margin.
When asked by a CNN reporter last week about his insistence on remaining in the race, Sanders hit back at the reporter.
“I’m dealing with a fucking global crisis. You know, we’re dealing with,” Sanders said, referring to the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. “Right now I’m trying to do my best to make sure that we don’t have an economic meltdown and that people don’t die. Is that enough for you to keep me busy for today?”
The pandemic has also thrown election logistics into disarray, as numerous states have chosen to delay their presidential primaries to June and mandated voting by mail only, to avoid large gatherings at polling stations.