Sanders Praises Warren After She Ends Her 2020 Campaign

Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), left, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), right, take a break during the Democratic presidential primary debate at Paris Las Vegas in Nevada on Feb. 19, 2020. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) praised Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) after she ended her presidential campaign, leaving Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden battling for the Democratic nomination.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), 38, is still in the race but only has two delegates.

Sanders, 78, said Warren, 70, took on “the most powerful corporate interests because she cares about those who have been left behind.”

“Without her, the progressive movement would not be nearly as strong as it is today. I know that she'll stay in this fight and we are grateful that she will,” he said in a statement released Thursday after Warren announced the end of her campaign. [delete]

“Sen. Warren has run an extraordinary campaign of ideas–demanding that the wealthy pay their fair share, ending corruption in Washington, guaranteeing health care for all, addressing climate change, tackling the student debt crisis and vigorously protecting women’s rights,” he added.

Sanders and Warren are close on a wide range of issues, including Medicare for All and climate change. They primarily battled Biden, 77, and other rivals during debates but at times sparred with each other over differences in positions.

Democratic presidential hopefuls Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), left, former Vice President Joe Biden, center, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) participate in the seventh Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season at the Drake University campus in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 14, 2020. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

The pair fought over what was said during a 2018 meeting, with Warren claiming her fellow senator told her that a woman couldn’t win the presidency.

“I thought a woman could win; he disagreed,” Warren said in a statement.

At a debate in January, Sanders denied he made the remark to Warren, referencing a video showing him saying decades ago that a woman should be president. Warren reiterated her version of events.

After the debate, each candidate said the other accused them of lying.

Warren did not endorse either Sanders or Biden at a press conference announcing the end of her bid for the presidency.

Four former presidential contenders, including former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, 78, endorsed Biden this week.