DEM MODERATES HUSTLE 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 one-third 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 away moderate and independent voters.
“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.”
Clyburn, who said he’ll endorse a candidate on Wednesday, specifically pointed to the districts Democrats flipped to take control of the House in 2018. “In those districts, it’s going to be tough to hold on to these jobs if you have to make the case for accepting a self-proclaimed democratic socialist,” he said.
Sanders on Saturday dominated his Democratic rivals in Nevada, pulling far ahead of the second-place finisher former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Sanders on Sunday celebrated the win in Texas, a top Super Tuesday prize. Sounding like a candidate who had already secured the nomination, he told thousands at the University of Houston that he would win in the state both next month and next fall.
“If working people and young people of this city, black and white and Latino, gay or straight, if our people stand together, come out to vote, we’re going to win here in Texas,” he said.
Meanwhile, Buttigieg’s campaign has questioned his third-place finish in Nevada’s caucuses and called for the state’s Democratic party to release a more detailed breakdown of votes and address reports of more than 200 problems allocating votes in Saturday’s caucuses.