“What I know about Sen. Sanders’ thought process and focus is, it’s all about representing the movement and leading what he initially called the political revolution,” said Kurt Ehrenberg, Sanders’ longtime political strategist in New Hampshire until last year. “And not letting down the people who have been with him all along. I think that’s the most important consideration for him.”

The fact that states are postponing their primaries to combat the coronavirus outbreak could provide Sanders more incentive to stay in the race. Georgia, Louisiana and Kentucky, which had previously been scheduled to vote in March, April and May, respectively, have rescheduled their primaries. Party officials in Puerto Rico are in the process of requesting a delay.

If Puerto Rico reschedules its March 29 primary, it will be more than two weeks until the next regularly scheduled primaries.

At the same time, the pandemic and looming possibility of a recession — or even a full-fledged depression — could make it more likely that Sanders stays in because the stakes are so high.

“In these very uncertain times, we need a president who is going to put the interests of everyday people over every other consideration — and that’s Bernie Sanders,” said Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ senior adviser. “How do we know that? Because that’s been his consistent life’s work.”

If Sanders continues his bid after Tuesday, he will face an onslaught of pressure from establishment Democrats and even some progressives to drop out. Many are wary of a long, divisive primary after 2016, and eager to take on President Donald Trump with the benefit of a united party. Jim Clyburn, whose endorsement helped fuel Biden’s comeback victory in South Carolina, said on the day of the March 10 primaries that the Democratic National Committee should “shut this primary down” and cancel debates if the former vice president swept the races, which he went on to do.

Sanders’ electoral prospects are bleak. Momentum — and the delegate count — have shifted to Biden, who looks poised to win another string of contests decisively on Tuesday.

“I think it could be much, much more constructive if he gets out earlier,” said Mark Longabaugh, a senior adviser to Sanders during his 2016 campaign. “He’s still going to have roughly 1,000 delegates going into the convention, and that’s all the leverage that you need to influence the platform.”