Sen. Bernie Sanders is a champion for working people, and Vermonters are lucky to have him standing up for us in Washington. Sanders has never wavered from his life’s mission of fighting for the middle class, expanding access to health care for every American, ensuring that our children can receive a quality education, and making America a more fair and equitable place.

I supported former Vice President Joe Biden throughout the primary, but the fact of the matter is that he and Bernie agree more than they disagree. They’ve lived by the same mission for their entire careers. They’ve fought side-by-side for workers and families, and though their tactics may differ from time to time, their goal has always been the same: to improve the lives of everyday Americans and those without a voice.

That’s precisely why, as Democrats, we need to acknowledge the urgency of this moment and unite to accomplish the real task at hand: getting President Donald Trump out of office and restoring hope for hardworking Americans. Because, unfortunately, what we’re seeing right now — during the most devastating public health crisis of any of our lifetimes — is a complete lack of leadership.

We have a president who’s tweeting about how his television ratings stack up to The Bachelor finale while tens of thousands of Americans are dying from COVID-19, a president who’s attacking reporters for simply asking questions while nurses in overcrowded hospitals are wearing garbage bags to protect themselves from the coronavirus. Even before the pandemic, Donald Trump was denying the science of climate change, lining the pockets of corporate CEOs at the expense of the middle class, and overseeing the most corrupt administration in our country’s history. But beyond all that, Donald Trump has unearthed and encouraged the worst elements of our country, with neo-Nazis marching down our city streets, carrying torches and chanting the same anti-Semitic epithets we remember from much darker times.

We’re in a fight for the very soul of our nation, and we can’t afford to lose this battle. That’s why we need to unite behind Joe Biden.

Joe Biden isn’t just going to be a healer and a uniter — he’s going to lead the most progressive administration in American history, which is just one of the reasons Sanders endorsed him days after suspending his own campaign.

Under a Biden presidency, the United States will again be a leader in the global fight against climate change. Health care will be accessible to every American. Our federal leadership will finally stop cozying up to the National Rifle Association and begin to take real action against the scourge of gun violence. And our children will be able to receive a quality education, no matter their ZIP code.

Joe Biden has a proven track record of accomplishing real change — and of reaching across the aisle to bring his political opponents to the table to make that change happen.

Imagine that: getting things done, and bringing us together in the process.

When we emerge from this coronavirus crisis, we’re going to need real leadership to guide us through the tough work of rebuilding. Small businesses and communities across Vermont and the Upper Valley will be devastated. Speaking as a former governor, I know we will desperately need a real partner in the White House to help get us back on our feet, a partner who doesn’t care which candidate your city or state voted for in the last election, a president who will tell us the truth.

I hope all my fellow Democrats will recognize that the stakes of the election this November are beyond those of any election we’ve ever lived through, and we can’t allow small variations in policy preferences to keep us from casting our ballots.

The future of our states, of our country and even of our planet, depends on us uniting as a party — and then organizing to elect Joe Biden and defeat the most dangerous president in modern American history.

The stakes have never been higher.

Peter Shumlin served as governor of Vermont from 2011-2017.