Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is reportedly ignoring criticism over his decision not to get involved in the Wisconsin gubernatorial primary that Democrat socialist Francesca Hong lost on Tuesday.
Some progressives are blaming Sanders and other progressive leaders for Hong’s defeat, Politico reported Thursday.
He told the outlet, “My response is that we have limited resources and capabilities, and there are a lot of really great candidates who have run for office who we have not endorsed,” adding that “We can’t endorse every single candidate. So, you know, we have to pick and choose and I think that Hong ran a very, very great, and very strong grassroots campaign, got a lot of people involved, and I applaud her for that.”
Republicans had reportedly compiled a nearly 350-page opposition research file on Hong before she lost, per Breitbart News. The outlet said Republican Tom Tiffany’s campaign prepared the documentation about the leftist in anticipation of facing her in the November midterms:
The file, marked “privileged and confidential,” detailed years of Hong’s statements and votes on policing, immigration, race, transgender issues, and other policies Republicans planned to use against her.
Hong, a state lawmaker from Madison and member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), had already faced criticism during the primary over past calls to defund police and remarks about canceling Thanksgiving and white supremacy.
The Republican research went much further. The documents detailed a 2020 statement in which Hong described gentrification as “violence” against black residents. A year later, she backed a resolution declaring systemic racism a “public health crisis” and calling for an “equity-oriented country and society.”
When asked if he would endorse Hong, Sanders said, “I don’t think so” during an interview on Pod Save America.
However, he did support her leftist platform, according to RNC Research:
Prior to her loss, Hong sidestepped questions as to why Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) had not endorsed her, according to Breitbart News.
The outlet reported Wednesday that “Establishment-backed Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley upset pollsters in Wisconsin’s Democrat gubernatorial primary on Tuesday, narrowly defeating socialist Francesca Hong to win the Democrat nomination.”
On Tuesday, Breitbart News also reported that the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) were steadily marching toward taking over the Democrat Party during this year’s election cycle.
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