Dear Mr. Sanders,

I know that the presidential race thus far has not worked out in your favor. Hillary Clinton has won the Democratic nomination despite all of your efforts. Donald Trump and his campaign are still gaining strength. The likely outcome of the general election has transformed from the perceived landslide victory into a gigantic, ugly question mark. Also, I am sure you are asking where your supporters went. Bright skies and a bright future beckoned tens of thousands of people to your many rallies and events, but now those skies are not so bright and you suddenly find yourself with a dwindling number of supporters.

It is important for you to know that your supporters are the very people responsible for the current state of your campaign (at least the fair-weather fans). You have done nothing wrong to deserve the vast abandonment you are experiencing. We live in a country that supposedly conducts elections by letting the people speak, but as you know, and have repeated over and over again throughout your campaign, our election system is corrupt. Money determines who gets the advantage. Superdelegates get to choose who represents their party. The worst part is that the people let this happen.

Having two choices for candidates makes things simpler and we Americans can’t get enough of simple. We settle for the front runners because researching the ideals of third-party candidates is just too much work. We automatically assume the race is over because Hillary got the nomination even though you have said over and over again that you are not finished. You truly have promised a future to believe in, but your fans stopped believing as soon as the California primaries closed.

In the end, if the presidential race does not work out for you, I hope you are still proud of what you have accomplished. You have sparked a revolution that has the potential to change our country for the better. The energy behind your campaign is both contagious and irresistible. Your promises to end big money, promote equality, and save our climate are just a few of the many things that are creating an uprising.

I attended one of your rallies in Syracuse, New York back in April. I saw firsthand the kind of people that your campaign attracts. The people I saw were eager for bold changes. I could tell by the sheer excitement in their eyes that they saw their savior in front of them. I could tell that they could see a glimpse of hope among a dark cloud of despair, fear, and uncertainty that hangs over our heads when we look at the state of our country (and Donald Trump).

You have been able to attract a large amount of young people, like myself, to your campaign. Millennials everywhere seem to be feeling the Bern. Critics say that the only reason you have been able to attract so many young voters is your promise to make public college free of charge. Those critics severely underestimate your campaign. Young people love you because they understand how to accept people different from them. Most of us have grown up in the globalized society we live in today. Most of us went to diverse schools and understand the dangerousness and divisiveness of Trump’s campaign rhetoric. We also respect your concern for the current state of our planet. We understand that what we do next to combat climate change will ultimately affect our future. No other Democratic or Republican candidate shows the same concern for the planet as you do. You understand that millennials and people born within the iGeneration bracket will have to live with the consequences of our actions.

We value that you want to attack income inequality within the United States. We value that you want to cut the ridiculous amount of spending on our military and use it towards social programs. We value that you actually care about women and want to end the pay gap between men and women. We value that you want to legalize marijuana and end the mass incarceration of innocent people. We value that you want to create a living minimum wage.

Overall, we value that you have made your campaign about us, the people, and not about yourself. You have provided an avenue for the voices of the unheard (and there are a lot of us). We are tired of being passed over by the wealthy. We are tired of being forgotten about by our legislators. Most of all, we are tired of hate. Your campaign has always preached love and acceptance. We need a world that accepts everyone.

So please, Bernie, do not stop. Do not quit, even though many of your supporters have quit on you to vote for Hillary. I think you should shake up the race and run as a third-party candidate, but that is obviously up to you. I just wanted to let you know that your true supporters have not abandoned you because we understand that you never abandoned us. Despite the odds, you continue to fight for us. Now, I think you have done enough. It is our turn to show that we want you as our president. If our election system is really built to listen to the people, then we need to get louder. We need to see for sure if our country cares about our voices.

Thank you, Bernie Sanders, for believing in us and providing us a future to believe in.

Sincerely,

A millennial hoping for a big change.