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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) campaign events ahead of the 2016 primary election mobilized a network of supporters nationwide. (Photo: Michael Vadon/flickr/cc)
While Focused on Current Fights, Sanders Quietly Talked 2020 With Campaign Team
His campaign manager still insists the "primary goal right now" is "to retake the House and retake the Senate so we can stop this horrendous Trump agenda."
Jan 25, 2018
Despite his resistance to publicly discussing the 2020 presidential race, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) privately met with key members of his campaign team during the #TrumpShutdown last weekend to discuss his potential bid for the nation's highest office, several Democratic insiders told Politico.
Sources said the campaign team's main message to Sanders was clear: "You would be one of the front-runners for the Democratic nomination. And if you want to run, it's time to start seriously planning accordingly."
The team's predictions align with polling results from President Donald Trump's first year in office, which have consistently shown significant voter support for Sanders, should he choose to run in the next presidential race.
"Part of the discussion included gaming out how the rest of the field might look," Politico notes, "since 2016's landscape--effectively pitting Sanders directly against Hillary Clinton--was far more straightforward than the expected 2020 free-for-all"
Top 2020 contenders on the left, according to political analysts and observers, include Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Kirsten Gilliband (D-N.Y.) as well as former Vice President Joe Biden and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The 76-year-old senator has admitted that he hasn't taken a 2020 presidential run "off the table," but Sanders has also chastised reporters for "talking about never-ending campaigns" rather than focusing on his challenges to policies being pushed by congressional Republicans and the president.
While the meeting on Saturday followed a series of other moves that political observers have concluded indicate that Sanders is planning another run for president, his campaign manager Jeff Weaver, who attended the meeting, insists that right now Sanders' top priority is the midterm election in November.
"The senator is extremely focused on making sure the Democrats win in 2018," Weaver said, "and that is the primary goal right now: to retake the House and retake the Senate so we can stop this horrendous Trump agenda."
On Monday, Sanders sent an email to his massive network of supporters outlining his strategy for 2018. The senator pledged to back "progressives running up and down the ballot" and said he "intends to go to every corner of this country to help build the electoral wave that will sweep Republicans out of the Congress."
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This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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Despite his resistance to publicly discussing the 2020 presidential race, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) privately met with key members of his campaign team during the #TrumpShutdown last weekend to discuss his potential bid for the nation's highest office, several Democratic insiders told Politico.
Sources said the campaign team's main message to Sanders was clear: "You would be one of the front-runners for the Democratic nomination. And if you want to run, it's time to start seriously planning accordingly."
The team's predictions align with polling results from President Donald Trump's first year in office, which have consistently shown significant voter support for Sanders, should he choose to run in the next presidential race.
"Part of the discussion included gaming out how the rest of the field might look," Politico notes, "since 2016's landscape--effectively pitting Sanders directly against Hillary Clinton--was far more straightforward than the expected 2020 free-for-all"
Top 2020 contenders on the left, according to political analysts and observers, include Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Kirsten Gilliband (D-N.Y.) as well as former Vice President Joe Biden and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The 76-year-old senator has admitted that he hasn't taken a 2020 presidential run "off the table," but Sanders has also chastised reporters for "talking about never-ending campaigns" rather than focusing on his challenges to policies being pushed by congressional Republicans and the president.
While the meeting on Saturday followed a series of other moves that political observers have concluded indicate that Sanders is planning another run for president, his campaign manager Jeff Weaver, who attended the meeting, insists that right now Sanders' top priority is the midterm election in November.
"The senator is extremely focused on making sure the Democrats win in 2018," Weaver said, "and that is the primary goal right now: to retake the House and retake the Senate so we can stop this horrendous Trump agenda."
On Monday, Sanders sent an email to his massive network of supporters outlining his strategy for 2018. The senator pledged to back "progressives running up and down the ballot" and said he "intends to go to every corner of this country to help build the electoral wave that will sweep Republicans out of the Congress."
Despite his resistance to publicly discussing the 2020 presidential race, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) privately met with key members of his campaign team during the #TrumpShutdown last weekend to discuss his potential bid for the nation's highest office, several Democratic insiders told Politico.
Sources said the campaign team's main message to Sanders was clear: "You would be one of the front-runners for the Democratic nomination. And if you want to run, it's time to start seriously planning accordingly."
The team's predictions align with polling results from President Donald Trump's first year in office, which have consistently shown significant voter support for Sanders, should he choose to run in the next presidential race.
"Part of the discussion included gaming out how the rest of the field might look," Politico notes, "since 2016's landscape--effectively pitting Sanders directly against Hillary Clinton--was far more straightforward than the expected 2020 free-for-all"
Top 2020 contenders on the left, according to political analysts and observers, include Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Kirsten Gilliband (D-N.Y.) as well as former Vice President Joe Biden and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The 76-year-old senator has admitted that he hasn't taken a 2020 presidential run "off the table," but Sanders has also chastised reporters for "talking about never-ending campaigns" rather than focusing on his challenges to policies being pushed by congressional Republicans and the president.
While the meeting on Saturday followed a series of other moves that political observers have concluded indicate that Sanders is planning another run for president, his campaign manager Jeff Weaver, who attended the meeting, insists that right now Sanders' top priority is the midterm election in November.
"The senator is extremely focused on making sure the Democrats win in 2018," Weaver said, "and that is the primary goal right now: to retake the House and retake the Senate so we can stop this horrendous Trump agenda."
On Monday, Sanders sent an email to his massive network of supporters outlining his strategy for 2018. The senator pledged to back "progressives running up and down the ballot" and said he "intends to go to every corner of this country to help build the electoral wave that will sweep Republicans out of the Congress."
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