Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) has refused to endorse his Senate colleague Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) in her primary campaign.
The 84-year-old Feinstein seeks to retain her seat in the face of progressive challengers, and Sanders declined to endorse any candidate in the race, The Hill reports. The California Democratic Party was split on the race, and Sanders said he would leave the matter of who to nominate up to voters in the Golden State.
"It’s an issue for the people of California," Sanders told The Hill.
A reporter followed up by asking if he would stay out of the race, to which Sanders said, "Yeah."
Feinstein was a staunch supporter of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 Democratic presidential primary, in which Clinton fought off Sanders’ challenge from the left.
"He ought to be able to read the signposts as well as anybody else, and if he did that, he would know that it’s all over," Feinstein said of Sanders during the presidential primary.
Sanders has been willing to endorse other Democratic challengers in their primaries, notably backing progressive Marie Newman against moderate Rep. Dan Lipinski (D., Ill.).
Feinstein rival and California State Senate leader Kevin de León received the support of a majority of delegates from the state Democratic Party but failed to reach the 60 percent needed to earn the party’s endorsement. He has run on a progressive platform not unlike Sanders’, endorsing Medicare for all and other large expenditures.
De León has said he will fight harder than Feinstein, whom progressives consider too much of a centrist.
"California Democrats are hungry for new leadership that will fight for California values from the front lines, not equivocate on the sidelines," de León said in a statement after the state party convention.
California 2018 primary elections are scheduled for June 5.