Local Democrats urge participation despite Sanders’ decision

GRANT COUNTY — Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont suspended his presidential campaign on Wednesday after a number of primary losses to fellow candidate Joe Biden.

Biden’s campaign experienced a resurgence after winning the South Carolina primary in late February and planted itself as the front-runner after a slew of wins on Super Tuesday.

Locally, Steve Starr, chair of Grant County Democrats, thought Sanders bowing out was the right move.

“I think it was the appropriate thing to do, but I think that he had a big influence on the debate and that he and his supporters will continue to have a large influence on the party’s direction,” he said. “I am hopeful and encourage his supporters to continue on, that they not back off from the movement that he started and that they continue to push in the direction that they have been.”

Sylvia Hammond, who ran for the 13th Legislative District Representative 2 position in 2018, echoed Starr’s feelings, noting that Sanders wasn’t her No. 1 candidate.

“I’m not disappointed about it,” she said. “He wasn’t my top choice. My top choice was Elizabeth Warren. I was disappointed that her campaign didn’t catch fire in the way I thought it should.”

Both Starr and Hammond offered similar advice to dejected Sanders supporters.

“I would say take a little time off, get some space, take a deep breath, and then I would urge them to continue the movement,” Starr said.

“I was very disappointed when Elizabeth Warren was no longer in the race,” Hammond said. “Sometimes you have to take a day and feel bad about that, and I think that’s fine. But ultimately it’s extremely important that Trump not be our president again and that the only way to do that is for the Democratic Party to unite and coalesce and work as hard as they possibly can behind Joe Biden.”

In an online address, Sanders indicated he would keep his name on the ballot in the states that have not voted yet and continue to gather delegates for the Democratic National Convention to maintain some influence with the party’s platform.

“I think that that’s wise,” said Hammond, “because I still like that that will give the Democratic Party a platform that is more agreeable to all Democrats as opposed to some of the splits that happen within the party — and it’s allowed to be split for different opinions — but I think that this will help us create a platform that all the Democrats will be able to coalesce around and I think that’s important and hopefully then we’ll bring all of the Democrats together to support Biden wholeheartedly.”

With Sanders’ move to remain on the ballot and continue to collect delegates, Starr explained the importance of local Democrats’ participation in the delegate process.

“In the 13th Legislative District, we need about 10 or 11 Bernie supporters to be delegates who will help choose the Sanders delegates who will go on to the national convention,” he said. “I would just like to publicly urge Bernie supporters to become delegates in the 13th Legislative District in the upcoming May 3 delegate selection process and that if anyone has any interest or questions in that process they are welcome to get in touch with me ... They can also go onto our Facebook page or go onto our website and submit a note there. ... We will help them with that process, but I just want to encourage them to stay engaged, to please be delegates and go on to the national convention so that they can play a role in informing the platform.”