Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 01:43 pm
As Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign continues to draw large crowds in Iowa, Hillary Clinton’s campaign advisers are admitting that they have a real race on their hands. One Clinton staffer admitted that Clinton’s campaign had originally underestimated Sanders. Another adviser, communications director Jennifer Palmieri, spoke candidly during an interview on “morning Joe”, admitting:
We are worried about him, sure. He will be a serious force for the campaign, and I don’t think that will diminish.
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Although Hillary Clinton remains the frontrunner in Iowa, Bernie Sanders has closed the gap from a 35-point deficit in May to a 19-point gap at the end of June. Sanders is also drawing enormous crowds at campaign events in Iowa, as well as in other parts of the country.
Sanders’ economic populist message that calls for raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans in order to pay for a bold one trillion dollar public works program for creating jobs and rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure, is resonating with Iowa voters.
Given that the Democratic Caucuses tend to attract the most passionate activists in the party, Sander’s poses a real threat to pull off an upset victory in Iowa. With Vermont’s next door neighbor, New Hampshire, hosting the nation’s first Democratic primary, Sanders might even be able to deliver a stunning one-two punch, carrying the first caucus state and the first primary state in rapid succession.
While many national reporters are still treating Bernie Sanders like a gadfly candidate, the Clinton campaign is wisely taking him seriously. Some national reporters may view Sanders as a Dennis Kucinich or Ralph Nader style also-ran. However, the Clinton staffers are concerned that Sanders could be more like the 2008 version of Barack Obama. In the 2008 election cycle, Obama scored a stunning victory over Hillary Clinton in Iowa. That victory was followed by many more victories as Obama defeated Hillary Clinton in a fiercely contested race for the Democratic nomination.
While it is too early to tell whether the Sanders campaign will continue to build enough momentum to win Iowa, it is clear that his campaign needs to be taken seriously. The Clinton campaign acknowledges that Sanders is a real threat to win in Iowa. If that happens, there is no telling when and where, or even if, his momentum will come to a halt.
Keith Brekhus is a progressive American who currently resides in Red Lodge, Montana. He is co-host for the Liberal Fix radio show. He holds a Master’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Missouri. In 2002, he ran for Congress as a Green Party candidate in the state of Missouri. In 2014, he worked as a field organizer for Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick’s successful re-election bid in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District. He can be followed on Twitter @keithbrekhus or on Facebook.
