How Bernie dominated the caucus

Democrat contender courts non-white, working class voters, write Jennifer Medina and Astead W Herndon

They showed up at Desert Pines High School in Tío Bernie T-shirts to caucus on Saturday morning, motivated by the idea of free college tuition, “Medicare for All” and the man making those promises: a 78-year-old white senator from Vermont. To dozens of mostly workingclass Latinos, Bernie Sanders seemed like one of their own, a child of immigrants who understands what it means to be seen as a perpetual outsider.

For at least one day, in one state, the long-promised political revolution of Mr Sanders came to vivid life, a multiracial coalition of immigrants, college students, Latina mothers, younger black voters, white liberals and even some moderates who embraced his idea of radical change and lifted him to victory in the Nevada caucuses.

By harnessing such a broad crosssection of voters, he offered a preview of the path that he hopes to take to the Democratic presidential nomination: uniting an array of voting blocs in racially diverse states in the West and the South and in economically strapped parts of the Midwest and the Southwest, all behind the message of social and economic justice that he has preached for years.

His advisers argue that he has a singular ability to energise voters who have felt secondary in the Democratic Party, like Latinos and younger people, and that Nevada proved as much — and could set the stage for strong performances in the Super Tuesday contests on March 3. The Sanders campaign is looking in particular to the delegate-rich states of

California and Texas, whose diverse Democratic electorates include a high percentage of voters from immigrant backgrounds.

Mr Sanders’ chances also depend in part on the field of moderate candidates remaining crowded and divided, which is not a guarantee, especially if voters seeking an alternative to the right of Mr Sanders align behind one candidate. And his brand of democratic socialism could prove to be a hard sell, including among Latinos elsewhere in the country.

He delivered his victory speech on Saturday evening not in Nevada, but in Texas, one of the diverse powerhouses on the Super Tuesday calendar.

“They think they are going to win this election by dividing our people up based on the colour of their skin or where they were born or their religion or their sexual orientation,” he said in San Antonio, speaking of President Donald Trump and his allies. “We are going to win because we are doing exactly the opposite. We’re bringing our people together.”

In the entrance polls on Saturday, Mr Sanders led the field across many demographic groups and across education levels. The breadth of his appeal amounts to a warning shot at those in the moderate Democratic establishment he often rails against, many of whom have staked their hopes for a “Stop Sanders” effort on the idea that he has a political ceiling within the party and could not grow his base of supporters.

Instead, as the primary shifted to Nevada from the racially homogeneous electorates of Iowa and New Hampshire, it was other who candidates struggled.

Strong showings in the first two states have not significantly helped former Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Amy Klobuchar break through with non-white voters. Former Vice President Joe Biden has called himself the one candidate who can build a diverse coalition, but he finished in second place in Nevada, the most diverse nominating contest so far.

Only Mr Sanders, with his uncompromising message that workingclass Americans affected by injustice can unite across ethnic identity, has shown traction in both predominantly white Iowa and New Hampshire and the more black and brown Nevada.

“He’s been saying the same thing for 40 years — I trust him,” said Cristhian Ramirez, who began volunteering for the campaign in November.

Mr Ramirez, who brought several friends with him Saturday, scoffed at the idea that Mr Sanders would face challenges in the general election. Like many supporters, Mr Ramirez was first drawn to Mr Sanders during the senator’s 2016 presidential bid. “Why should we vote for a moderate? We already tried that last time and we lost.”

The strong showing in the first-inthe-West caucus state seemed to be a payoff for Mr Sanders’ unique political philosophy and his campaign team’s electoral strategy, which bet big on grassroots outreach to Latinos and immigrant populations. It’s a model the campaign is looking to take across the country, working to reach people and groups who have traditionally been less likely to vote.

“We’ve been saying for a while, candidates and the Democratic Party need to engage Latino communities sooner and substantively,” said Marisa Franco, the executive director of Mijente, a community organisation.

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We’re going to win because we’re doing the opposite. We’re bringing people together. BERNARD SANDERS

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