SPEAKING OUT

Bernie Sanders: ‘Absolutely’ a Mistake for DNC Chair to Endorse Cuomo

Perez sparked controversy within liberal and progressive ranks when he decided to publicly back the incumbent governor of New York in a contentious race.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) openly waded into the New York gubernatorial race on Wednesday, telling The Washington Post that he believes it was “absolutely” a mistake for Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez to endorse incumbent New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Asked if the decision makes it harder to trust that the DNC won’t play establishment favorites in the 2020 presidential election, Sanders responded: “It does.”

Sanders continued: “Look, let us also be clear—maybe I'm the only person here who'll tell you this—but you got Democrats up here who will tell you ‘the Democratic party is God's gift to the human race,’ Republicans will tell you the same thing.”

“Look, there is massive discontent with the political system,” the democratic-socialist senator said. “People don’t vote, people often hold their noses and they vote. And I think by and large, especially in the Democratic party, what I have said....is open the doors of the Democratic party. Welcome working people, welcome young people in. Welcome idealism in.”

Sanders also said that “to endorse one candidate over the other, is not what the chair of the DNC should be doing.”

Perez’s choice upset a lot of of progressives in the party, especially as it came a day after deputy chair Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) said the Democratic party should stay out of primaries.

Sanders has not endorsed in the primary but his campaign’s spinoff organization Our Revolution backed Cuomo’s opponent Cynthia Nixon.

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Gideon ResnickPolitical Reporter

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