“I am very worried about the future of American democracy and about the ability of billionaires to buy elections,” Bernie Sanders said. | AP Photo Sanders: I wouldn't have picked Garland for Supreme Court

Days after facing down a series of losses to Hillary Clinton in five Democratic primaries, Bernie Sanders doubled down.

From the Supreme Court nominee to his shifting stance on the role of superdelegates in helping him pull closer to his opponent, Sanders held his ground, saying on Thursday evening that he would ask President Barack Obama to withdraw his Supreme Court nomination if he becomes president, but that he fully supports his nomination of Judge Merrick Garland.



"I'm 100 percent prepared to support Judge Garland. I think he's clearly very knowledgeable and can serve ably on the Supreme Court," he said. "[But] I think there are some more progressive judges out there," Sanders said on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show."



He emphasized that he is willing to do everything in his power to make sure hearings and a vote are held in order to secure Garland’s spot on the Supreme Court.



But when asked by Maddow if he would ask Obama to withdraw Garland's name so that he could submit his own nominee, Sanders replied, "Yes, I would."



Sanders said he would make reversing Citizens United v. FEC — the 2010 decision that allowed unlimited election spending by organizations and companies — a 'litmus test' for would-be justices.






“I have said over and over again that I do have a litmus test for a Supreme Court justice and that litmus test is that justice must be loud and clear in telling us that he or she will vote to overturn the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision,” he said. “I am very worried about the future of American democracy and about the ability of billionaires to buy elections."



Turning to the Democratic presidential primary, Sanders said he still has a shot of winning many unclaimed states and delegates, including superdelegates who have previously pledged to support his rival, front-runner Hillary Clinton.

The Vermont senator then laid out his strategy for picking up delegates, saying he believed his team has a "good shot — can't guarantee it" of winning many states in upcoming battles, including California, Washington, Oregon and New York, as well as grabbing potential victories in some smaller states.

"We are now moving beyond the South. We're moving West where we think the terrain favors us," Sanders said, referring to Clinton's previous victories in March, noting that the "West Coast is probably most progressive region of the United States of America."



He also claimed he is the best poised to beat Donald Trump in a general election.





“We think if we come into the convention in July in Philadelphia, having won a whole lot of delegates, having a whole lot of momentum behind us, and most importantly perhaps being the candidate who is most likely to defeat Donald Trump, we think that some of these superdelegates who have now supported Hillary Clinton can come over to us,” he said, remarking that "in almost every poll, not every poll, but almost every national matchup poll between Sanders and Trump, Clinton and Trump, we do better than Hillary Clinton and sometimes by large numbers. We get a lot more of the independent vote than she gets. And, frankly and very honestly, I think I am a stronger candidate to defeat Trump than Secretary Clinton is and I think many secretary — many of the super delegates understand that."



Sanders pushed back when asked to speculate about whether the candidate who is behind in pledged delegates should concede to the front-runner at the convention in Philadelphia.



“I think it is probably the case that the candidate who has the most pledged delegates is going to be the candidate, but there are other factors,” he said. “And the strength of each of us in taking on the Republican candidate.”