After a disappointing showing in the state-wide New York primary earlier this week, the pressure seems to be growing from within the Democratic base on Vermont Senator and underdog challenger Bernie Sanders to drop out and end his 2016 campaign.

While Senator Sanders has proven to be a stingy adversary for party-favorite candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Sanders camp has been significantly slowed by the results from New York. Clinton edged Sanders in the delegate count in the Empire State, taking home 139 over Sanders’ 108. Clinton now leads in the overall delegate count 1,446 to 1,202 heading into Tuesday’s conventions, where five states will be holding their primaries.

But Democratic insiders are apparently ready for the Berning sensation to finally cool, urging the self-described Democratic-Socialist to end his campaign and support Clinton down the stretch. According to POLITICO, “Only 1 in 10 Democratic insiders said Sanders should try to woo superdelegates to help him overtake Clinton on the convention floor in Philadelphia if he finishes the primary season trailing in pledged delegates.”

An anonymous Wisconsin Democrat told POLITICO, “I think it would benefit the Democrats to have Bernie drop out sooner rather than later and ask his supporters to coalesce behind Hilary… [Sanders] stands no chance of winning the nomination at this point, and the Democrats can show a united front while the Republicans are so deeply fractured.”

“The longer he waits, the more damage he does,” added another.

It is no secret that the Democratic party has been heavily favoring the former Secretary of State over Sanders. Despite his swelling crowds of voters that regularly number in the tens of thousands, Sanders has only managed to score 9 endorsements from Democratic party Governors, Senators, and Congressmen; Clinton on the other hand has secured over 210.

A Florida Democrat reportedly said, “The primary is over. There is no path, and there is no math. The sooner he lands the plane, the better chance he has at building a real legacy from this.”

Campaign manager Jeff Weaver has long said that the Sanders camp plans on pushing for the nomination all the way until the Philadelphia convention this summer. With all the talk of contested conventions emerging from the Republican party, Sanders hopes to make a splash of his own and challenge Clinton’s presumed coronation, continuing his populist message in the process.

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J.D. Durkin (@jiveDurkey) is a columnist at Mediaite.

[images via Wikipedia Commons]

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