LANSING, MI -- Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders isn't out of the race yet, telling supporters in a live-streamed speech Thursday night that he hopes to continue reforming the Democratic Party, while stopping short of ending his campaign.

But his determination to take his message and candidacy to the Democratic National Convention next month won't likely be much of a deterrent to the party's efforts in pulling Sanders supporters toward presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton come November, said Bernie Porn, partner and president of polling firm EPIC-MRA.

"Although he has not come out at this juncture, I think he ultimately will more directly urge his voters to support her," Porn said.

National polling indicates Clinton is moving into a significant lead, in part because of the uncertainty in the Republican Party over presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, Porn said. At this time, it seems many Sanders supporters are beginning to coalesce around Clinton, he said.

Sen. Bert Johnson, D-Highland Park, who endorsed Sanders prior to Michigan's March primary, said Sanders was driving his campaign to a "smart place" where he's continuing to push the envelope while also beginning the conciliatory bridge building process.

Sanders supporters will likely be more encouraged to see their candidate stick to his guns and stay in the race, fighting for reforms up until the very end, Johnson said.

"He's the healer -- he's got to be there to see that his loyalists switch over into the Hillary camp," Johnson said. "It's in the party's best interest to listen very carefully to the things Bernie was talking about."

The clout Sanders has built throughout his campaign still holds as long as he hangs onto his presidential campaign, said Kelly Rossman-McKinney of public relations firm Truscott Rossman, a Clinton supporter.

It's likely Sanders is trying to make his supporters feel as though they still have a voice, and if he can prove to them that he used his candidacy to move the party forward, they are more likely to become Clinton supporters, Rossman-McKinney said.

"I don't see these people sitting out and giving Trump a free ride," Rossman-McKinney said.

During his Thursday speech, Sanders said he looks forward to working with Clinton to "transform the Democratic Party," listing off several reforms he hoped to make in the primary voting process and among party leadership.

In addition, he encouraged his supporters to run for office at the local or state level through a page on his website.

Nearly 6,700 people have signed up to learn more, almost 11,000 supporters expressed interest in running for office or volunteering since the speech, according to a press release from the campaign issued late Friday afternoon.

Sanders also made a brief reference to the Flint water crisis during the speech while listing off different reasons the campaign was conducted: "(The campaign) is about ending the disgrace of a mother in Flint, Michigan, telling me what has happened to the intellectual development of her child as a result of lead in the water in that city," he said.

One of Sanders' biggest primary upsets came in Michigan, where he defied polling data in the state to beat Clinton 49.8 percent to 48.3 percent statewide in March.

Clinton won only 10 of Michigan's 83 counties in the Democratic primary: Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Genesee, Saginaw, Berrien, Alpena, Lake, Montmorency and Dickinson.

Sanders' success in Michigan and other states did not make up for his delegate deficit from Clinton's wins in several major primary races.

Lauren Gibbons is a political reporter on MLive's Impact team. She can be reached at lgibbon2@mlive.com.