Moderates hope to slow Sanders’ momentum

WASHINGTON — Bernie Sanders’ commanding Nevada caucus victory made him a top target for his Democratic rivals and a growing source of anxiety for establishment Democrats worried that the nomination of an avowed democratic socialist could cost the party in November.

Sanders’ win solidified his front-runner status in the crowded field as the race turned to Saturday’s presidential primary in South

Carolina, where his moderate opponents scrambled to try to blunt the Vermont senator’s momentum. But with so-called Super Tuesday just three days later, when 14 states vote and onethird of the delegates are awarded, time was running short for Sanders’ opponents to consolidate support.

That prospect on Sunday amplified concerns among Democrats who believe Sanders’ call for a political

“revolution” would drive moderate and independent voters away from the party, both in the matchup against President Trump and in House and Senate races.

“I think it would be a real burden for us in these states or congressional districts that we have to do well in,” South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, the House majority whip and the top-ranking black Democrat in Congress, said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”

Sanders’ campaign argued he will bring in new and infrequent voters — largely progressives, young people and voters of color — who have been alienated from the process and seek a drastic overhaul of Washington, not merely trying to oust Trump.

He successfully relied on that coalition Saturday to dominate his Democratic rivals in Nevada, pulling far ahead of the second-place finisher, former Vice President Joe Biden, and Pete

Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., who came in third.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren landed in fourth, while Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Tom Steyer were in a close race for fifth.

Dan Pfeiffer, a former adviser to President Barack Obama, said if no candidates drop out before Super Tuesday and the moderates continue to split the delegates, Sanders likely has a lock on the nomination.

“It’s just simple math,” Pfeiffer said, noting that he’s not advocating that any candidates drop out to stop Sanders.

“We gotta hope that some of these candidates develop political skills quickly,” said James Carville, a Democratic strategist and one of the noisiest anti-Sanders voices in the party. “The risk in losing the election is deep and profound. We just gotta pray.”