Bernie Sanders: Joe Biden Will Get “Overwhelming” Progressive Support

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders had quite a contentious battle for the 2016 Democratic nominations. Stung by the race, many progressive supporters of the Vermont senator chose not to vote for Clinton or voted for 3rd party candidates. This helped Trump win a razor-thin electoral college victory.

While Sanders was, again, unable to capture the Democratic nomination in 2020, the race was much less contentious. The Vermont lawmaker quickly threw his support behind Biden, pledging to help him achieve victory. Sanders spoke about Biden’s chances during a Sunday interview on ABC and predicted the Democratic nominee would have “overwhelming progressive support.”

I would say that the overwhelming majority of progressives understand that it is absolutely imperative that Donald Trump be defeated,” Sanders told ABC This Week host George Stephanopoulos.

NEW: "The overwhelming majority of progressives understand that it is absolutely imperative that Donald Trump be defeated," Sanders tells @GStephanopoulos when asked about about disappointment about a Biden-Harris ticket in the Party's progressive wing. https://t.co/2q9VGegS3T pic.twitter.com/kTpdZXZ7zl

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 16, 2020

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The Vermont senator continued:

“Obviously, there may be disagreement. A lot of my supporters are not enthusiastic about Joe Biden. You know why? I ran against Joe Biden. But I think there’s an overwhelming understanding that Donald Trump must be defeated, Biden must be elected, and that the day after he is elected, we’re going to do everything we can to create a government that works for all of us.”

Sanders also lauded the campaign for selecting Kamala Harris as a running mate. He told the host, “Well, I believe that Kamala is — as somebody who has known her for a number of years — incredibly smart, incredibly tough. And I would not like to be Vice President (Mike) Pence in a debate with her. I think she’s an asset for the Biden campaign and I think she’s going to do great on the campaign trail.”