Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersNYT editorial board remembers Ginsburg: She 'will forever have two legacies' Two GOP governors urge Republicans to hold off on Supreme Court nominee Sanders knocks McConnell: He's going against Ginsburg's 'dying wishes' MORE thundered through his stump speech at a campaign rally on Thursday, never once mentioning to the thousands who gathered to see him that his campaign is likely winding down.



Speaking to about 2,000 supporters outside of RFK stadium on a cool evening on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., Sanders did not make mention rival Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonJeff Flake: Republicans 'should hold the same position' on SCOTUS vacancy as 2016 Momentum growing among Republicans for Supreme Court vote before Election Day Warning signs flash for Lindsey Graham in South Carolina MORE or fighting her for the support of superdelegates at a contested Democratic convention.



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Instead, Sanders hewed closely to his stump speech, ticking through the litany of progressive issues that have long been the cornerstone of his surprising insurgent campaign.“This is the United States of America, where in the last 25 years we’ve seen the middle class shrink and shrink and shrink while almost all new wealth goes to the people on top,” Sanders said. “That’s not what this country is about, and together we are going to change that.”The singular focus on the issues was a shift for Sanders, who as recently as Tuesday was vowing to fight to the bitter end for the Democratic nomination.The rally — which might be his last as a presidential candidate — closed out a busy day for Sanders that could presage his exit from the Democratic presidential race.Sanders met with President Obama and Vice President Biden at the White House early on Thursday. He left that meeting saying that he would work with Clinton and Democrats to defeat, the presumptive Republican nominee, in the general election — the clearest sign yet that he’s preparing to wind down his campaign.Obama released a pre-taped video announcing his endorsement of Clinton shortly after. The president will campaign with Clinton in Wisconsin next week.Sen.(D-Mass.), a progressive hero like Sanders, endorsed Clinton Thursday evening.The writing is on the wall for Sanders after he fell short of Clinton in three of five states on Tuesday. He lost badly to the former secretary of State in California, where he had campaigned heavily and hoped to pull an upset.Clinton can now claim a majority of pledged delegates earned through primaries and caucuses. Barring catastrophe, superdelegates will push Clinton across the threshold needed to emerge with the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in July.Democrats are closely watching to see how Sanders plays out the rest of the campaign and will likely see his Clinton-free speech Thursday as a positive sign.Still, not all of Sanders’s allies appear ready to throw in the towel.Supporters Cornel West and Deborah Parker, both of whom will represent Sanders on the platform committee at the convention, criticized Clinton or expressed dismay over the state of the race.West called Clinton a “milquetoast neo-liberal,” while Parker said she was “angry” and “hurt” over the outcome.“These past few days have been difficult,” Parker said.But Sanders is under pressure from allies on Capitol Hill, and even some key progressive groups that backed his candidacy, like MoveOn, to begin the process of rallying his supporters behind Clinton.Sanders has long said he’ll compete until all voters have had their say. The final Democratic primary is Tuesday in Washington, D.C.“In a few days here in Washington, you’ll be having the very last primary of the Democratic nominating process,” Sanders said in closing. “It would be extraordinary if the people of Washington, our nation’s capitol, stood up and told the world they’re ready to lead this country into a political revolution.”