There’s a case to be made that Sanders’s involvement in the race actually put Canova at a disadvantage.“It’s frustrating that the media doesn’t want to talk to me about [the issues], they want to talk to me about Bernie,” Canova said. He also believes that the possibility that Sanders might campaign for him “helped mobilize the establishment” in favor of his opponent, even though the Vermont senator hasn’t shown up.

Sanders undoubtedly assisted Canova in a variety of ways. He injected money into the campaign. He elevated the profile of the race and lent credibility to Canova’s candidacy. Canova cites the senator’s political activism as an inspiration. Yet when asked if Sanders’s involvement in his race did more to hurt than help overall, Canova replied, “Honestly, don’t know. I would have said it helped a lot more than it hurt, [but] in the final week or two, I don’t know.”

Back in Vermont, Sanders introduced Our Revolution in a speech delivered Wednesday evening, noting that the organization will support candidates “from the school board to the United States Senate,” as well as ballot initiatives. The senator devoted considerable time to talking about the primary campaign, leaving the impression that he may be more at ease re-living the past than contemplating the future. Several dozen people gathered to watch a broadcast of the speech in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Washington, D.C.; not everyone left with a clear idea of what comes next. “I’m still not 100 percent sure how he wants to mobilize everyone and how it’s going to work,” said Adriana Gallegos, a 35-year-old D.C. resident. “It was kind of hard to understand what exactly the revolution was about until the end."

Sanders and his allies could end up losing the trust they worked so hard to build. The launch of Our Revolution was overshadowed by the resignation of key staffers who cited concerns over how the organization would be managed and operated. According to its website, the group is operating as a 501(c)(4)—a type of non-profit organization that can accept vast amounts of money without disclosing its donors. In recent years, 501(c)(4)s have earned a reputation as “dark money” groups due to that lack of transparency. That could be concerning to the Sanders faithful. Sanders showed that it is possible to fundraise competitively in a presidential primary by relying on small-dollar donations and shunning billionaires. A post-election organization run on a different fundraising model could alienate loyal followers.

Ahead of the organization’s launch, Sanders’s involvement with Our Revolution raised legal questions. ABC News reported that the organization could be “venturing into uncharted legal territory,” since “typically, 501(c)(4) organizations … are run by political operatives, not elected officials.” During his speech on Wednesday, Sanders attempted to put those questions to rest, clarifying that he will not control or direct the organization.