Saturday, March 5, 2016
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) won three of the weekend’s four Democratic presidential nominating contests, but he failed to make a dent in former secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s sizable delegate lead.
By late Sunday night, Sanders had won an additional 67 delegates to the Democratic National Convention, while Clinton had picked up another 64. Counting all 20 states and territories to vote thus far, Clinton was leading Sanders 671 to 476. It takes 2,383 delegates to win the Democratic nomination.
The Vermont senator won caucuses in Kansas and Nebraska on Saturday and then in Maine on Sunday — all three by healthy margins. But Clinton managed to match him for the weekend by winning delegate-rich Louisiana by an even wider margin of 71 percent to 23 percent.
Speaking Sunday night at a CNN debate in Flint, Mich., Sanders hailed his weekend victories, noting that turnout was especially high in Kansas and in Maine.
“I think we are exciting working class people, young people who are prepared to stand up and demand that we have a government that represents all of us and not just the few,” he said.
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Thursday, March 3, 2016
"It was an election beyond most people's wildest dreams," reporter Debbie Bookchin wrote at the time in the Vanguard Press.
At first, it appeared Sanders had won by 22 votes. After a recount, that margin dwindled to 10. Terry Bouricius, a Bernie Sanders ally who won election that night to the city council, recalled the moment five years ago in an interview with Seven Days' Shay Totten.
"We weren't expecting it, and it came as quite a shock to us that he won," Bouricius said. "It was so shocking, in fact, that the first thing we did was to get a court order to impound the ballots to be sure they were secured before a recount occurred."
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Wednesday, March 2, 2016
But where in Vermont was the love for Bernie the strongest? Stannard, the tiny Northeast Kingdom town that sits west of St. Johnsbury in Caledonia County.
That’s where Sanders won his highest percentage-point victory, according to unofficial results reported to the Secretary of State’s Office. Of the 48 Stannard residents who voted in the Democratic primary, 47 went for Sanders, and just one chose Clinton. In other words, Sanders won just shy of 98 percent of the vote. Stannard also happens to be where Sanders lived for a time in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was a resident there when his son, Levi, was born.
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Their candidate lost seven of 11 states Tuesday night and fell further behind Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the delegate count, but top advisers to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) sounded Wednesday morning as if they'd just won the jackpot.
“I think it's fair to say, last night we had a fantastic night,” campaign manager Jeff Weaver told reporters during a press conference at Sanders' Church Street headquarters. “We shot for five; we got 4.9.”
Weaver was referring to Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Vermont — the five states it targeted on Super Tuesday and, with the exception of Sanders' home state, where it devoted significant advertising dollars. Sanders won all but Massachusetts, but even there, he took nearly as many delegates as Clinton.
“It would've been nice if we drew an inside straight flush. We drew to a flush,” said senior strategist Tad Devine. “We still think we have a winning hand in this game, and we're going to continue to play it for a while.”
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For much of the evening, it was too close to call between real estate tycoon Donald Trump and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. But shortly after midnight, the Associated Press declared that Trump would prevail.
There was a silver lining for Kasich. Because the margin was so minuscule, it appeared he would walk away with the same number of delegates as Trump: at least six apiece. Vermont awards 16 delegates to Republican candidates.
As of 12:35 a.m. Wednesday, Trump was leading Kasich 32.6 percent to 30.6 percent, with 91 percent of the state's precincts reporting. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) took 19.3 percent of the vote, while Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson trailed with 9.7 percent and 4.2 percent respectively.
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Tuesday, March 1, 2016
It's a crucial day for Sanders' presidential campaign, with Democratic contests in 11 states and 880 delegates on the line. In his brief remarks to the local and national press, the candidate acknowledged the stakes.
“I am confident that if there is a large voter turnout today across this country, then we're going to do well,” he said. “If not, we're probably going to be struggling. But I hope there will be millions of people coming out and participating in what I call the political revolution, which is millions of people demanding that we have a government that represents all of us, and not just wealthy campaign contributors.”
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But according to Sanders' top strategist, Tad Devine, only a full-on rout on Super Tuesday would prompt the senator to reconsider his candidacy.
"First of all, you should understand that we're staying in the race for many months. That is not even a consideration at the moment," Devine said late Monday. "I mean, I see no way — I suppose if we lost Vermont and everything else we might take a step back."
Even after a brutal loss in South Carolina last weekend, Devine noted, Sanders' supporters responded to his call Monday to contribute $4 million in a single day. By midnight, they had doled out more than $6 million, lifting his campaign's February fundraising total to a whopping $42 million.
"In the old days, people dropped out almost only for one reason, and that is the bundlers stopped bundling the money. Nobody came to the fundraisers anymore. But we're not dealing in that world," Devine said. "I don't think our supporters have given up on this campaign ... I think they believe in Bernie and his message, and I think they're demonstrating that by the depth of their commitment."
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Monday, February 29, 2016
"I decided to vote for Hillary, but it was a tossup between her and Mr. Bernie, cuz I really think he want to make a change," she said, referring to Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Top of mind for Rivers, a behavioral health specialist for the state Department of Mental Health, was the rising cost of electricity and health insurance, coupled with stagnant wages.
"We livin' from paycheck to paycheck," she said. "Our insurance is up — way up. It's like if you took a whole 'nother $150 out of my check, and I'm already struggling."
While Sanders' message appealed to Rivers, who is African American, she was ultimately swayed by the belief that Clinton was better equipped to get the job done.
"Mr. Bernie, I think he really focusing more on the wage than anything, but I just think she a little bit stronger," she said. "But I hope they work together, whichever one win."
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Sunday, February 28, 2016
Sanders' presidential campaign announced Sunday that he will appear at a rally and concert Tuesday evening at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction. The event will take place as Democrats in 11 states, including Vermont, make their presidential pick by primary or caucus. Roughly 880 delegates will be awarded that day — about a third of those necessary to win the Democratic nomination.
Joining the candidate for the event will be the pianist Ben Folds and several Vermont artists who have performed at other Sanders concerts: Kat Wright, Brett Hughes, Dwight Ritcher and Nicole Nelson. Folds announced on Facebook earlier Sunday that he would join Sanders "to play a few tunes at his rally before he takes the stage, do some press and anything else I can do to help."
He added, "Those who know me know that I’ve never put myself wholeheartedly into a public endorsement for a politician, but Bernie is a rare candidate."
Doors open at 4 p.m. and the program begins at 6 p.m., though Sanders likely won't speak until quite a bit later. According to the campaign, tickets are not required, but an RSVP is "strongly encouraged."
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Two of Vermont's most influential newspapers endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Sunday, delivering a tough blow to hometown hero Bernie Sanders.
The Rutland Herald and the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus, which are owned by the same family and share an editorial board, hailed the "serious and substantive challenge" the Vermont senator has mounted against the former secretary of state, calling his contribution to the debate "of historic importance." The papers credited the insurgent candidate with leading a progressive "awakening" that would continue long after the election is over.
"But outsider status, which Sanders has always enjoyed, does not automatically confer wisdom or ability," they wrote. "As the leader of a movement he has been a great success. As president of all the people, he is not the best choice."
Clinton, the papers argued, is the candidate with the "thorough and realistic understanding" of policy and the "breadth of experience" to implement a progressive vision. And in a "scary" election season featuring Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, they wrote, "The Democrats must be prepared to turn back that threat with the best possible candidate."
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