Phillip Agnew appeared to suggest Monday that holding elections while black colleges were on spring break amounted to “voter suppression.”
Agnew, a senior adviser to independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, made the comments on CNN’s “New Day.” (RELATED: Bernie’s Boasts About The ‘Youth Vote’ Don’t Add Up, Even In His Own State)
Bernie Sanders adviser Phillip Agnew (@iPhilSomething): “There were a number of black colleges who were on spring break during Election Day. So we are up against rampant voter suppression efforts that are pushing young black folks out of the booth.” pic.twitter.com/osGTBks7kt
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) March 17, 2020
Agnew referenced the recent primary in Mississippi — a primary that former Vice President Joe Biden won with over 81% of the vote — and appeared to claim that voter suppression was the reason Biden had bested Sanders by a 65% margin.
“I think across the board, the Democratic Party has a lot of work to do to make sure that young black folks and older black folks have access to the ballot box,” Agnew concluded. “And our campaign is proud to actually been a part of that. And it’s not just our campaign. Across the board, we got a lot of work to do.”