"The Democratic establishment is no longer the Democratic establishment," Segal, a former senior legislative assistant for Congressman John Conyers (D-MI), tells Loud & Clear. "The Bernie Sanders campaign has radically altered that word."
Through grassroots efforts, Sanders has built a national campaign that earned the support of over 12 million voters. Many of these may be unwilling to accept Clinton’s nomination.
"A lot of people are very disenfranchised," Fairbanks says, describing the Bernie or Bust movement. "There’s still 2 million ballots that haven’t been counted in California. They’re saying that she had the popular vote, but they’re not counting the people who voted in caucuses.
"People are feeling like they’re not heard, and they’re going to make themselves heard, even if that means Never Hillary."
Clinton’s presumptive nomination, obtained through means suggested by some as "voter suppression," indicates American voters may face a tough choice in November.
"Should there be an endorsement of a candidate such as Hillary Clinton if all the votes haven’t been counted? I think we need to have a very serious discussion about that," Segal says. "At the same time, Bernie or Bust also means that Donald Trump becomes the president…and we do not want a radical, racist, anti-Muslim, who doesn’t believe climate change is real, a misogynist…in the White House.
"We can push Hillary to the left. I don’t think we can push Trump. That’s a brick wall."
Some argue that accepting Clinton means that the Democratic Party will ultimately drift toward the right to compete with Republicans.
"People who have been part of the Bernie or Bust Movement have been saying that they need a united front against the Democratic Party to push them to actually be progressive," Fairbanks says. "If they don’t stand up and do that, and they allow Clinton to win, it’s going to move the Democratic Party more to the right than it already is."
The final Democratic primary is being held in Washington DC on Tuesday. With only a handful of delegates up for grabs, the results will have little effect on the race, but Sanders has vowed to continue his bid until the convention in July.
