Now he’s voting for Hillary, what is Bernie Sanders’ legacy?

Surprising many, but pleasing few, Bernie Sanders continues his campaign for Democratic nomination. With recent announcements stating that he does not plan to suspend his campaign or endorse the likely nominee Hillary Clinton (although he has agreed to vote for her), Bernie instead seeks to promote his agenda and raise awareness of issues both within and out of the Democratic Party. With Clinton officially securing enough delegates for the nomination, Bernie has cut back his staff and reduced his use of resources.

The legacy that Bernie will leave behind is still unclear. What is clear is that failed attempts towards securing a party nomination or presidency often lead to a dead end for many politicians. While Bernie has risen to celebrity status and captured the internet and young voters, much like Obama had done in 2008, his staying power in politics is still questionable.

Jonathan Mahler of the New York Times wrote about Pat Robertson’s 1988 bid for presidency, where the candidate had used his leftover resources and previously-gathered information to bring rise to the Christian Coalition, which had played major roles in the production of voting guides and had substantial influence on the elections and politics that ensued. Will Bernie do the same with the resources that he has available, or will he instead retire or focus on smaller political activism?

While we can’t be sure of what he’ll do after the nomination process is complete, there’s still a lot that his campaign is doing now. Bernie has taken a firm stance against the nomination process and against “big money” in US politics, and still continues to hold support from some voters.

Bernie is actively raising awareness of the flaws in the DNC and its election process, and is causing new voters to question the super delegate system which has strongly favored his opponent over him. His campaign had stated that it hopes to use the convention as a forum for discussion of these issues and looks to bring new, excited voters that had backed Bernie previously into the party through political reform.

This proposed reform includes a re-evaluation of the superdelegate system and the replacement of the DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, among other board members. Bernie is also pushing to allow non-registered democrats to vote in the primaries, and to promote a more open nomination process. While the discussion is meaningful and may have impact in the short term, we can’t be certain that Bernie will succeed or have a long-lasting effect on politics today.

It’s clear that he’s still active and is promoting his movement, but little has emerged regarding his plans after the nomination procedure. The Senate Democrats have approached Bernie previously to ask if he would aid candidates running for Senate in the 2016 election, to which Sanders had said that he would, and would speak for his nearly 1,900 secured delegates at the convention in Philadelphia to ensure that his platform and the voices behind it be heard.

What will happen in the months and years following, however, is still undetermined and we will have to wait and see if Bernie will have the impact on the future of politics that he desires.