Sanders hopes for some Michigan magic to revive race

ADDRESSING a crowd of more than 10,000 people, Bernie Sanders made a final plea to re-boot his stuttering campaign. “I understand that Joe Biden has the support of the entire political establishment; I got that,” he said.

“But we have the support of some of the strongest grassroots movements in this country,” he told the cheering crowd. “And I would 100 times over prefer to have grassroots support than establishment support.” Mr Sanders has chosen to make his last stand in Michigan, which holds its Democratic primary today, betting big on a state that handed him a surprise victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016.

It is a feat he must repeat if he hopes to retain a shot at winning the Democratic presidential nomination.

Once the front-runner in the race, Mr Sanders was dealt a blow last week when his rival, Joe Biden, the former US vice president, won 10 states on Super Tuesday to take the lead. Six more states will vote today, offering Mr Sanders his best hope of reclaiming his lead. Michigan is the biggest prize of the night, with 125 delegates.

But to win here, Mr Sanders needs the support of more African-american voters, a group he has so far failed to win over. His efforts have been boosted by the endorsement of Rev Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader and former presidential candidate.

The 78-year-old travelled to Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Sunday to tout the progressive candidate’s track record and rally black voters, saying: “I stand with Bernie Sanders today because he stood with me.”

Rev Jackson took a swipe at Mr Biden, the moderate candidate, as he made his endorsement, saying Africanamericans’ “needs are not moderate”.

Taking to the stage after him, Mr Sanders called it “one of the honours of my life” to receive the civil rights leader’s support, but it was an overwhelmingly white audience which had come to hear him speak.

Mr Sanders has let black activists criticise Mr Biden’s record on social and criminal justice, honing his own attacks on his rival’s support for free trade agreements, which he argues harmed white, working-class voters here in the industrial Midwest.

It is this group that delivered Mr Sanders’ Michigan win in 2016, but the result in states such as Minnesota, Maine and Massachusetts has sparked fears they have abandoned him now.

Mr Sanders is hoping the formidable ground campaign he has deployed in Michigan can hammer this message home to voters. He faces an uphill battle, with a new poll by the Detroit Free Press suggesting Mr Biden has a massive 24-point lead in the state.

The former vice president arrived in Michigan yesterday and lost no time emphasising his role in securing a major bail-out for the state’s motor industry while he served in Barack Obama’s administration.

Mr Sanders’ supporters hope that the withdrawal of his former rival, Elizabeth Warren, from the race will unite the progressive vote behind him.