Back in 2019, just as the primary season was starting, I found who I thought was my pick: Elizabeth Warren. She was all policy, and had that presidential spark.

I supported her wholeheartedly. I sent texts for the campaign and donated more than a little bit of money. At the time it felt like we were heading for a Warren coronation; everyone was so positive and her polls kept rising.

Suddenly she was a front-runner, and with that came the attacks. Warren was right about Medicare for all, her policy made sense: the savings of not having to pay for insurance will more than cover any extra tax. But when she came under fire she just didn’t handle it.

It looked like her policy focused strategy would work, but when the Medicare attacks came she failed to provide the resonant defense needed, and instead softened her policy. As Warren was struggling, another figure started to stand out.

I had had a fondness for Bernie Sanders since 2016. He was the passionate, steadfast, respectable socialist that the American left had been missing. He spearheaded the revitalization of the Democratic left wing, paving the way for the likes of AOC to win seats in congress. In 2019, I thought that Sanders should stay to lead in the Senate, and work with who I thought would be president: Warren.

Now I think it should be the other way around. As Warren faltered, Bernie surged ahead, despite a heart attack. Here was this elder statesman running a vigorous campaign days after a life threatening medical event took him to the hospital.

It was then, as I began to waver in my faith in Warren, that Sanders showed that he was not close to done. He’s right next to Biden now, and is leading in several early primary states.

I’m glad I jumped ship while I did and didn’t have to see the downfall of Warren from her camp. She dropped in the polls and started making attacks. As she clawed at Biden and Bernie, I saw her really hurting herself, bleeding supporters. Now there are many former Warrenites looking for a better option, and it’s Sanders.

At this point, our focuses are on beating Trump and taking action to heal our society and planet. Bernie is the only candidate who can do both. Sure Biden would win, but he’s the brand of center right Democrat that had failed to do what had to be done in recent years. Sure Warren has the policy chops, but she’s shown she can’t handle being in the hot seat, and Trump would give her an electoral college curb stomp.

There’s one Democrat who will fight for the rights of the people, who will work tirelessly to heal our planet, who will take his massive appeal to working class Americans and minorities and use it to smack down Trump. It’s Bernie.