Sanders plans to face Biden in next debate

Sen. Bernie Sanders plans to participate in the Democratic presidential debate in April if one is held, his campaign said Tuesday, the strongest indication yet that he plans to continue competing against Joe Biden in the 2020 primaries for the foreseeable future.

The Democratic National Committee has said previously that there would be a debate in April, but one has not been scheduled. The committee has not announced a media partner or a site host — critical elements that are typically agreed upon at least a month in advance. The coronavirus crisis has already upended most facets of Democratic primaries, and there is no guarantee that the debate will take place.

Still, the fact that the Sanders campaign is signaling, for now, that he would be on a debate stage in April is a strikingly public sign of the Vermont senator’s determination to wield political influence and challenge Biden for primacy despite the former vice president’s nearly insurmountable delegate lead.

“Sen. Sanders is still running for president,” said Mike Casca, a top campaign official. “If there is a debate in April, he plans to be there.”

Before the coronavirus outbreak effectively put the primary race on hold — most upcoming primaries have been moved to later dates, and neither Sanders nor Biden is holding any inperson campaign events — Sanders had soundly lost a string of primary races beginning with South Carolina and continuing through last Tuesday, when he lost contests in Arizona, Florida and Illinois.

Biden’s decisive victories, and his ability to attract so many demographic groups, have left Sanders with no realistic path to the nomination. After Sanders’ losses last week, his campaign manager said the Vermont senator would “assess his campaign,” and Sanders has shifted his focus since then to the virus. He has not made any announcements about his campaign’s future and snapped last week at a reporter who asked about his plans. During an interview on MSNBC on Monday night, he said his campaign was “kind of moving day by day.”

Xochitl Hinojosa, a DNC spokeswoman, declined to say whether a debate would still take place in April as planned or move later in the calendar to follow primary contests from several states that have switched from April to June. The Biden campaign declined to comment.