Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the onetime Democratic presidential front-runner who notched victories in several early states, is now facing long odds. It’s not impossible — though it is statistically unlikely — for him to reverse the course of the primary and mount a comeback against former Vice President Joe Biden.
To regain a delegate lead or, failing that, to make the maximum impact on the race for the views he cares about most, he needs to use Sunday’s presidential debate stage to great effect, amplifying the distinctive message of his campaign and tailoring it to this moment of the coronavirus crisis.
Progressive allies and grassroots organizations helped make Sanders a leading contender in the primary, and have pinned their hopes of systemic far-left change on his candidacy’s success.
Here’s what several prominent voices with these groups are looking for from Sanders on Sunday. Most agree that he should push Biden on the issues that the Sanders coalition prioritizes, but not come off as too oppositional.
— Rebecca Katz, progressive consultant in New York City
Katz, a Democratic strategist who previously worked for Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York, said Sanders had little path to the nomination but should still push aggressively for the issues he champions.
Bernie Sanders has a chance to make sure Joe Biden is ready to lead. And that means ready to lead progressives and the country in this moment. And it’s Bernie Sanders’ duty, if Biden is the nominee, to make sure he can go one on one with Trump. For Bernie Sanders, it has always been about the issues. So I think you’re going to see him lay out his core beliefs and what we need to do. And if Joe Biden is smart, he will pick up some of those issues and carry them into a possible administration. Just because Dems don’t think an issue isn’t important enough to bring up in a primary, doesn’t mean it won’t define the general election. Don’t leave issues on the table for Trump to pick up.
— Ryan Greenwood, director of movement politics for People’s Action
Greenwood’s group, a grassroots organization that endorsed Sanders in December, emphasized how the current crisis revealed the serious vulnerabilities of the working class, a subject that Sanders has made central in the 2020 campaign.
The coronavirus pandemic means that almost everyone in the country is now feeling the crisis and instability faced by the multiracial working class on a daily basis. The question is, as Sanders has said, “Joe, what are you gonna do?” The choice is pretty simple: On one hand we have a platform where nothing fundamentally changes, in which we leave millions of people out of the solutions when crisis hits. On the other hand, we have a platform in which no one gets left behind, everyone’s well-being is protected, and everyone can pursue their full potential. We look forward to Sanders highlighting that contrast.
— Evan Weber, political director of the Sunrise Movement
The Sunrise Movement, a group of young activists that has been instrumental in pushing the Green New Deal, endorsed Sanders in January. Weber emphasized that the Vermont senator still enjoyed a huge advantage among young voters, and that Biden must recognize that he needs to win over young people to win.
With questions of electability clearly shaping voters’ decisions in this election, Sen. Sanders needs to use this debate as an opportunity to show Democratic voters why he’s the best candidate to take on Trump. Luckily, the senator has a clear case to make: No Democrat can win in November without the support and enthusiasm of young people, and millennials and Generation Z are swinging in wide margins for Bernie because he is championing a platform that meets the scale of our generation’s challenges.
— Ana María Archila, co-executive director at the Center for Popular Democracy Action
Archila’s group, which supports Sanders, represents a number of smaller organizations that work with community groups on issues including immigration, health care and housing.
The coronavirus pandemic has exposed how fragile we all are when millions of people are uninsured, and when workers cannot afford to take a day off from work because they risk falling back on their bills. On Sunday, we hope to hear Sen. Sanders not only make the case for these policies in the context of the current crisis, but also force Biden to commit clearly to the agenda that has mobilized young people. Throughout his campaign, Bernie has asked people to fight for someone they don’t know. We hope he will use this debate to remind people that we must take care of one another, and use our democracy to build a society where we all can thrive.
— Maurice Mitchell, national director of the Working Families Party
The Working Families Party initially endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the fall, but moved to support Sanders after Warren left the race.
This fragile moment has vindicated Sanders’ fundamental critique of American capitalism. We’re far more dependent on each other than we’ve been led to believe, and our failure to invest in public goods — especially public health — has made us vulnerable. If Sanders can connect his bold solutions to our current crisis, he can win the night, and maybe more.
