Here’s Why It Makes Perfect Sense For Bernie Sanders To Request A Recanvass Of Kentucky

Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 02:01 pm

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In a move designed to fire up his supporters and show that he is still competing for every delegate, Sen. Bernie Sanders has requested a recanvassing of the results from the Kentucky primary.

The AP reported:

Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign requested a recanvass in Kentucky’s presidential primary Tuesday, where he trails Hillary Clinton by less than one-half of 1 percent of the vote.

The Sanders campaign said it has asked the Kentucky secretary of state to have election officials review electronic voting machines and absentee ballots from last week’s primary in each of the state’s 120 counties.

Sanders signed a letter Tuesday morning requesting a full and complete check and recanvass of the election results in Kentucky.

It is not a coincidence that the campaign of Sen. Sanders requested a recanvass of Kentucky less than a day after Hillary Clinton turned down a Fox News offer to hold a Democratic debate in California. Sanders is showing his supporters that he is fighting for every last delegate. Sanders also could win Kentucky if the review of the voting totals went his way.

The odds are that the recanvass won’t change anything, but if you are Bernie Sanders, you have nothing to lose by trying. The Sanders campaign is facing a cash crunch and doesn’t have the funds to run the same style of campaign that they have mounted in states that are less expensive than California. Sanders is down by 18 points in the state, and his campaign could use a boost to keep his supporters fired up for the future.

In a round of media interviews today, Sanders continued to resist the delegate math that shows Hillary Clinton will win the nomination, but his campaign’s private actions have been contradicting the candidate’s public statements for weeks.

Bernie Sanders is close to building a real popular movement that could change American politics beyond the primary. When viewed in this context, his requested recanvass of Kentucky makes perfect sense.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association