Hillary Clinton has all but locked up the Democratic nomination as a Presidential candidate. At this point, it seems like inevitability. Given her strong 16-point win in the New York primary over rival Bernie Sanders, her domination of four of the five states on April 26, and her commanding lead in both pledged and super delegates, Clinton is already basically the Democratic nominee. Sanders just has no path forward. He has states he can do very well in, sure, but there just is no path to victory. As a Sanders supporter, however, I do urge him to stay in the race. There is no telling what could happen (strange things have happened before), and Sanders has a platform that radiates Progressivism from New York City to the shores of California. He has also expressed a desire to shape the Democratic National Convention, where he will carry a significant number of delegates into the event and Clinton will be in search of the support of his supporters.

While Sanders’ path forward seems completely blocked, many of his supporters are trying to decide their path forward. In a poll conducted at the very end of March (March 29-31) by Marist University surveying 1,066 registered voters, 69 percent of Sanders’ supporters said they would vote for Clinton in the general election if she were the nominee while 25 percent said they would not vote for her. So, what is the plan for those voters who do not plan to support her in the fall? Will they back the Republican nominee, who seems more and more likely each day to be Donald Trump, the radical, eccentric, and controversial Republican candidate? Or will they decide to write-in Bernie Sanders, search for a third-party candidate, or choose not to vote at all?

As a Bernie Sanders’ supporter myself, I am astounded by the large number of media voices and outspoken political analysts alike who seem to assume that most if not all Sanders supporters will automatically decide to support Clinton, whether out of “duty” or “responsibility” to the Democratic party, or as a decision between “the lesser of two evils." I find it reprehensible and rather disappointing, that in a democratic political system, where every legally eligible citizen’s vote is supposed to count and matter, we may have an election where thousands of people will vote simply out of a duty to a certain political party or in search of the lesser of two evils.

To my fellow Sanders’ supporters, stay with your candidate.

Don’t give up on him; yes, we know that the system is rigged. And yes, we know that he stands a very, very small chance of winning. But who knows? He could win. And in the end, it is truly the issues that matter. All of the time and energy that Mr. Sanders has invested into arguing for fairer elections, for less discrepancy between the lower and middle classes and the top 1 percent of America, the $15 minimum wage that he champions, and his overall interest in seeing the average American succeed…do not let any of that go to waste. All of the brilliant moments of Sanders' campaign: from his astounding rise in the polls, to the infamous $27 average campaign contribution, to the famous 'Birdie Sanders,' to Sanders' brilliant performances in each of the Democratic debates; Bernie Sanders has proven that he is a true champion for the American people.

Do not give up on Bernie Sanders, do not give up on progressivism, and believe in a progressive when you see one, not when you hear one.