Coming off a big win in Indiana and with the Democratic Party holding four more primaries this month, May could end up showing a resilient Bernie Sanders campaign despite the concerted effort of the mainstream press to count him out.
With upcoming contests in West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, and the territory of Guam, Politico reports Friday that Sanders could be poised for another upcoming “win streak” against rival Hillary Clinton:
With the West Virginia primary next Tuesday, Sanders has been campaigning heavily in the state where he has put his main focus on lifting up workers and the scourge of poverty that impacts large portions of the state and remains a too-often ignored epidemic nationwide.
At a meeting held at food bank in McDowell County, West Virginia on Thursday, Sanders told those gathered that it is a national shame that in the “wealthiest country in the history of the world” more than 47 million Americans live in poverty. In his opening remarks at what was billed as a community roundtable event, Sanders described his understanding of the problem:
In an interview with NPR this week, Sanders talked about why the focus on poverty is so important both in terms of the real people who experience it everyday and what it says about the political realities of the country, including what he sees as the shortcomings of the Democratic Party establishment. Sanders said:
While the upcoming May primaries give the Sanders campaign “reasons to believe,” as Politico puts it, his focus on such issues as free higher education, Medicare for all, and addressing surging income and wealth inequality that is fueling the support he’s receiving.
Kelsey Pack, a 22-year-old from Beckley, West Virginia who attended a Sanders event later on Thursday in Charleston, described to the Charleston Gazette why hearing Sanders’ message up close was only part of why she was so excited to attend.
“It wasn’t necessarily about seeing him in person; it was about being surrounded by like-minded people,” explained Pack. “I wanted to be part of the experience and part of the movement, and to be able to say that I was here.”
“I already do know why I’m voting for [Sanders] — that’s solidified. I wanted to be around other people who are voting for him or thinking about voting for him. There’s such a stigma around the people supporting him being ‘freeloaders,’ and I wanted to see for myself that that isn’t the case.”
And Debra “DL” Hamilton, a local campaign volunteer, told the Gazette she became involved because she believes so strongly in the Democratic presidential candidate’s vision for the future.
“I’m an activist and also an active Democrat, and Bernie combines every sign I’ve ever carried with the real possibility of a future to believe in,” Hamilton said. “West Virginia needs a future to believe in.”