Rivals take aim at Bernie Sanders after his big Nevada win
Reaction and analysis from Washington Times opinion editor Charlie Hurt and Fox News contributor Marie Harf.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., appears to be marching toward the Democratic presidential nomination, but that could spell bad news for the rest of the party's 2020 candidates, Fox News contributor Charlie Hurt said Monday.
Hurt told "Bill Hemmer Reports" that down-ballot Democrats could be in serious trouble due to the presence of such a radical and polarizing candidate atop the ticket.
"[Bernie] is doing better than anybody else; certainly better than Joe Biden is doing," Hurt said. "And if he ... performs better in South Carolina than people were expecting, that is a tremendous thing."
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South Carolina Democrats, like House Majority Whip James Clyburn, have expressed concern in recent days that Sanders may not fare well in Saturday's state primary. The Palmetto State has not backed a Democrat in a presidential election since Jimmy Carter in 1976.
"This is the reason why Democrats, establishment Democrats, are concerned about having Bernie Sanders at the top of the ticket," said Hurt, the opinion editor of The Washington Times. "I think that they are going have a terrible time trying to capture the White House, but the trickle-down [effect] to all the other races having Bernie Sanders at the top of the ticket could be devastating."
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In 2016, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won every one of South Carolina's 46 counties when she ran against Sanders. Former Vice President Joe Biden is also hoping for a strong showing there following a lackluster performance in the first three contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.
Later in the interview, Hurt added that former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg must improve his standing if he wants to mount a challenge to Sanders, as the two are viewed as ideological opponents within the same party, but noted that the 78-year-old media mogul is simply "not a very good retail politician."
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