Sen. Bernie Sanders announced on Wednesday that he is dropping out of the presidential election. Former Vice President Joe Biden has now become the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee.

“I wish I could give you better news, but I think you know the truth,” Sanders told his supporters in a live stream. “I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful.”

In the video, he called the decision “difficult and painful” and reassured his supporters that had he felt he had any chance of winning, he would have remained in the race.

“As I see the crisis gripping the nation,” he said, “I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour.”

Sanders also said he would remain on the ballot in the remaining primary elections and urged his supporters to cast their vote for him to gain more delegates and “exert significant influence over the party platform.”

The decision breaks with Sanders’ approach to the last presidential race, when he remained in competition with Hillary Clinton even after she had built an insurmountable lead. Over the course of a lengthy political career that included two presidential campaigns, Sanders transformed the Democratic Party, mainstreaming progressive policies such as free college and universal single-payer health care. In the 2020 presidential race, he formed a strong and clear progressive base, but the vast new electorate he promised to attract never materialized.

“It was not long ago that people considered these ideas radical and fringe,” Sanders said Wednesday. “Many of them are already being implemented in cities and states across the country. That is what we have accomplished.”

Just a couple of months ago, Sanders was the front-runner in the race. But poor performances in the South and among black voters caused his campaign to flag, and many moderate voters turned to Biden out of a concern that Sanders was poorly positioned to beat President Donald Trump in the general election. The coronavirus pandemic pushed electoral politics out of the public’s attention, blocking Sanders from making any kind of more dramatic move in the race.

Shortly after Sanders’ announcement, Biden released a statement lauding Sanders for “creating a movement” and altering the landscape of Democratic politics. “I want to commend Bernie for being a powerful voice for a fairer and more just America,” Biden said. “Bernie gets a lot of credit for his passionate advocacy for the issues he cares about. But he doesn’t get enough credit for being a voice that forces us all to take a hard look in the mirror and ask if we’ve done enough.”

Sanders has said he would support Biden, but it remains unclear how enthusiastic he will be in urging his supporters to rally behind the nominee. In his address Wednesday, he did offer some promise of collaboration. “Today I congratulate Joe Biden, a very decent man, who I will work with to move our progressive ideas forward,” he said.

Sanders also indicated that he would now focus his energy on legislative leadership. “Congress must address this unprecedented crisis in an unprecedented way that protects the health and economic wellbeing of the working families of our country, not just powerful special interests,” he said. “As a member of the Democratic leadership in the United States Senate and as a senator for the state of Vermont, this is something I will intensely be involved in over the next couple of months.”