Now that US senator Bernie Sanders has ended his pursuit of the Democratic presidential nomination and endorsed former vice-president Joe Biden’s candidacy, he should rally his supporters to focus on beating President Donald Trump. Biden is the nation’s best chance at healing from the pandemic and civic strife stirred by Trump’s first term.

Between now and election day voters need to hear more from Sanders. He remains a resonant voice for the powerless. His millions of supporters deserve his guidance on how the nation can best move forward. That means holding up Biden’s long history as a senator and vice-president who shaped national policy, across decades, to help the underserved and underprivileged.

While some Sanders critics contend he remained in the 2020 race too long, his tenacious fight rallied young voters who are needed in the months ahead. The health of US representative democracy relies on participation from all sectors of society, and for decades getting young adults to register and vote has been a civic deficiency. Academic studies in the US and Denmark have found that civic engagement by young people creates lifelong voters. The Democratic Party Sanders ran to lead — without ever joining — must take a hard look at building bridges to this fresh crowd.

Sanders energised masses of young voters by saying progress is within reach, and Biden must now show their voices count. There is little chance the more centrist Biden will fully embrace universal Medicare, basic income and housing for all, but he succeeded in the Senate by recognising that politics is the art of the possible. The plans he introduced for Medicare expansion and college-loan forgiveness show he shares the goal of aiding the economically vulnerable, which is the evidence Sanders backers need to see.

Supporting a less liberal candidate may be hard for Sanders die-hards, but as Sanders said last week, Trump is too dangerous to remain in office. The voters and donors who backed Sanders’s mantra of “not me but us” must put their votes and spirit towards the greater good. Sanders has a unique ability to preach this sermon and should do it. Seattle, April 12

© Seattle Times