Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Sen. Bernie Sanders says he can\u2019t be everywhere at once \u2014 even though some of his allies want him to be.<\/p>\n
Democratic socialist Francesca Hong lost by less than 4,000 votes<\/a> in Wisconsin\u2019s gubernatorial primary, an outcome several high-profile progressives are blaming on Sanders and other top national progressive leaders for staying out of the race<\/a>. Some said his endorsement alone could have helped bring in badly needed resources for Hong. Others said the Vermont senator has a responsibility to play widely across the battle map.<\/p>\n Sanders, in an interview, touted a series of progressive wins Tuesday night and brushed off the criticism.<\/p>\n \u201cMy response is that we have limited resources and capabilities, and there are a lot of really great candidates who have run for office who we have not endorsed,\u201d Sanders told POLITICO on Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t endorse every single candidate,\u201d he added. \u201cSo, you know, we have to pick and choose and I think that Hong ran a very, very great, and very strong, grassroots campaign, got a lot of people involved and I applaud her for that.\u201d<\/p>\n Hong ultimately lost to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a major victory for establishment Democrats who worried she wouldn\u2019t be able to win a general election in a top battleground. It was a notable blow for the far left that overshadowed progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan\u2019s win<\/a> in the Minnesota Senate race the same night.<\/p>\n Sanders and other progressive leaders \u201chave a responsibility, whether they like it or they don’t,\u201d to help steer candidates in the movement, said Cenk Uygur, a progressive activist who co-founded the Young Turks and Justice Democrats. \u201cIf they endorse people, it makes a difference. If they don’t endorse people these days, sometimes it makes a bigger difference. Because there’s a certain expectation, and when they don’t deliver on that expectation, it gives people pause. So it feels like, to some degree, they’re shirking their responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n Uygur also criticized Sanders for saying on a podcast ahead of the primary that he was \u201cnot that familiar\u201d with the Wisconsin race<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI love Bernie, but that’s not true. Sorry, brother, but you have a giant team. Of course somebody on your team knows who’s running for governor in Wisconsin.\u201d Uygur told POLITICO on Thursday.<\/p>\n One Democratic operative working on progressive campaigns, granted anonymity to speak candidly about the electoral dynamics, also rejected Sanders\u2019 argument, noting the senator won Wisconsin\u2019s presidential primary in 2016.<\/p>\n \u201cHe knows Wisconsin very well,\u201d the operative said, adding: \u201cWhat resources? You’re not cutting checks. [Sanders] endorsing somebody raises the money.\u201d<\/p>\n Sanders in the interview noted primary wins from Flanagan, Rebecca Cooke in Wisconsin\u2019s 3rd District<\/a> and Matt Little in the crowded race for Rep. Angie Craig\u2019s Minnesota seat \u2014 all Democrats he endorsed.<\/p>\n \u201cNeedless to say, I’m feeling really very good,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cThe American people are catching on that we have an economy that is rigged, the very rich are getting richer while working families are struggling.\u201d<\/p>\n But the Wisconsin governor primary result Tuesday exposed a critical vulnerability for a movement that has largely relied on Sanders and a handful of other headline-grabbing stars, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), to help seal the deal in contentious races as progressives look to prove they can play in competitive seats. The underdog wing of the party, some progressives argue, can\u2019t be selective about where it’s playing if they want to take on a vast and well-funded establishment.<\/p>\n The bulk of the blame is being laid at Sanders\u2019 feet in part because the movement he turbocharged in 2016 has struggled to land on a clear successor<\/a>. Some progressives argue there\u2019s an overreliance on Sanders and leaders such as Ocasio-Cortez.<\/p>\n Our Revolution, a group born from Sanders\u2019 2016 campaign but that the senator no longer associates with, blasted the broader progressive ecosystem for not doing more for Hong in a post early Wednesday morning, as the returns in Wisconsin showed Crowley was poised to defeat Hong. Several groups that have backed insurgent progressives in other races declined to join Our Revolution in getting involved in the governor\u2019s race.\u201cWe cannot build progressive power while gatekeeping our own movement through the eyes of the establishment,\u201d the group posted.<\/p>\n Sanders pushed back: “Our Revolution is an organization I’ve not had any interaction with, any participation with \u2026 for I think nine years,\u201d he said in response. \u201cThey do what they want and they say what they want. They have nothing to do with me.”<\/p>\n Our Revolution declined comment on Sanders\u2019 remarks and on its post.<\/p>\n Nina Turner, a former Our Revolution leader and Sanders 2020 co-chair who had backed Hong, said support from \u201cmore well-known, more popular, actively elected progressive types \u2026 probably would have\u201d made a difference in Hong\u2019s race. She declined to call anyone out specifically for not getting involved.<\/p>\n \u201cThe progressive movement is going to have to reckon with how we continue to win around certain personalities,\u201d Turner said. \u201cI don’t think the movement should put all our hopes and dreams on certain personalities to come out or to not come out, because it is their choice and they have a right to their choice, even if I don’t agree with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) was one of the few national progressive figures who had endorsed Hong. He has employed a far more aggressive endorsement strategy than Sanders this primary season and said he sees an advantage to backing candidates early, despite the potential headwinds facing long-shot contenders, as long as they align with him on policy.<\/p>\n But he wasn\u2019t willing to play the blame game in the aftermath of Wisconsin\u2019s primary, saying in a text message that: \u201cWe have so many candidates running and I believe progressive leaders have been doing an extraordinary job lifting them up.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez, who has also faced criticism for not backing for Hong, declined to comment.<\/p>\n Not everyone on the left believes Sanders and other progressive stars could have swung a race in which several other factors were working against Hong. The candidate did very little traditional advertising<\/a>. She faced a barrage of negative press over controversial past social media comments that put her on defense<\/a> over everything from public safety to Thanksgiving. Several candidates likely siphoned away votes from both Hong and Crowley \u2014 including two who dropped out after voting began<\/a>: Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.<\/p>\n Dillon Sheehan, the chapter secretary for the Madison Area Democratic Socialists of America, which endorsed Hong, said \u201cit\u2019s entirely possible\u201d big-name progressives like Sanders could have \u201cput her over the edge.\u201d<\/p>\n But \u201cwe need candidates who can win without Bernie\u2019s endorsement, he\u2019s not going to be able to endorse forever,\u201d Sheehan said. \u201cI think what this shows is that even without his endorsement, without Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez\u2019s endorsement, [Hong] did fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n