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Bernie Sanders鈥檚 campaign is now officially over, but the movement he began is still just beginning. He鈥檚 provided it seven big legacies:

First, Bernie has helped open America鈥檚 eyes to the power of big money corrupting our democracy and thereby rigging our economy to its advantage and everyone else鈥檚 disadvantage. 聽

Polls now show huge majorities of Americans think moneyed interests have too much sway in Washington. And thanks, in large part, to Bernie鈥檚 campaign, progressives on Capitol Hill are readying a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, and bills requiring full disclosure of donors, ending gerrymandering, and providing automatic voter registration.

None of these will get anywhere in a Republican-controlled Congress, but they will give progressives a powerful theme for the upcoming election. It鈥檚 called democracy.

Second, Bernie has shown that it鈥檚 possible to win elections without depending on big money from corporations, Wall Street, and billionaires. He came close to winning the Democratic nomination on the basis of millions of small donations from average working people. No longer can a candidate pretend to believe in campaign finance reform but say they have to take big money because their opponent does.

Third, Bernie has educated millions of Americans about why we must have a single-payer health-care system and free tuition at public universities, and why we must resurrect the Glass-Steagall Act and bust up the biggest banks. These issues will be front and center in every progressive campaign from here out, at all levels of American politics.

Fourth,the Sanders campaign has brought millions of young people into politics, ignited their energy and enthusiasm and idealism.

Fifth, the movement Bernie ignited has pushed Hillary Clinton to take more progressive positions on issues ranging from the minimum wage to the Trans Pacific Partnership, the XL Pipeline, Wall Street, and Social Security.

Sixth, he鈥檚 taught Americans how undemocratic the Democratic Party鈥檚 system for picking candidates really is. Before Bernie鈥檚 candidacy, not many people were paying attention to so-called 鈥渟uper-delegates鈥� or whether independents could vote, or how primary elections and caucuses were run. From now on, people will pay attention. And the Democratic National Committee will be under pressure to make fundamental changes.

Seventh is the real possibility Bernie has inspired of a third party 鈥� if the Democratic Party doesn鈥檛 respond to the necessity of getting big money out of politics and reversing widening inequality, if it doesn鈥檛 begin to advocate for a single-payer healthcare system, or push hard for higher taxes on the wealthy - including a wealth tax - to pay for better education and better opportunities for everyone else, if it doesn鈥檛 expand Social Security and lift the cap on income subject to the Social Security payroll tax, if it doesn鈥檛 bust up the biggest banks and strengthen antitrust laws, and expand voting rights.聽

If it doesn鈥檛 act on these critical issues. the Democratic Party will become irrelevant to the future of America, and a third party will emerge to address them.聽

Bernie, we thank you for your courage, your inspiration, your tireless dedication, and your vision. And we will continue the fight.

This article originally appeared on .