A generation of liberal voters enthralled by his populist message, and a Democratic Party whose ideological center has shifted left during the 2016 election.
The effort now is to make sure things stay that way.
Senator Sanders has vowed to take his campaign to the Democratic convention, but he's also signaled that his effort is now more of a movement than a competitive political machine. He's slashed staff and slowed down his breakneck pace of campaigning.
On the trail, his core issues like income equality and campaign finance reform still loom large, but the senator has taken to reflecting on the arc of his campaign.
He frequently reminds his followers that their revolution began as an unlikely campaign that the media and the political class outright dismissed.
"When we began this campaign, nobody really thought it would go very far because many of the pundits were saying who in America supports the idea of a political revolution?"
Sanders said at a campaign rally in Morgantown Thursday night. West Virginia and Nebraska vote Tuesday night.
As Hillary Clinton stands on the cusp of clinching her party's nomination and facing off against Donald Trump, even Democrats supporting her say Sanders has permanently changed the political landscape.
He's introduced new ideas that have become fixtures in Democratic debates -- like his signature proposal for free college -- and raised expectations of the party's liberal base.
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, who endorsed Clinton but has also publicly praised Sanders' role in the Democratic primary, said the senator's campaign has pulled both the party and Clinton in a more liberal direction.
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