Politics

Liberal Organization Founded By Howard Dean Endorses Bernie Sanders

Alex Pappas Political Reporter
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A liberal grassroots organization founded by Howard Dean is endorsing Vermont Sen. [crscore]Bernie Sanders[/crscore] in the Democratic presidential race.

The group Democracy for America announced its endorsement after conducting an online poll of its supporters.

“With 271,527 votes cast — and all three presidential candidates campaigning directly for your vote — the results are in and they are extraordinary,” the organization wrote on its website Thursday. “Bernie Sanders has earned Democracy for America’s endorsement in the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primary with an astonishing, record-breaking 87.9 percent of the vote.”

The liberal group says its “endorsement brings with it a million person-strong grassroots army that has knocked hundreds of thousands of doors, made over 11 million phone calls, and raised and contributed more than $32.7 million to help elect 843 progressive candidates nationwide.”

Though Dean started Democracy for America with activists from his 2004 presidential run, the former Vermont governor has endorsed Hillary Clinton in this Democratic primary.

The options on the online poll included Sanders, Clinton, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, and “don’t endorse.” The organization said it would only endorse if a single candidate secured a supermajority, or 66.67 percent or more, of the vote.

Also on Thursday, Sanders won the backing of the Communications Workers of America, one of the largest unions in the country.

“Our politics and economy have favored Wall Street, the wealthy and powerful for too long,” Communications Workers of America president Chris Shelton said Thursday. “CWA members, like voters across America, are saying we can no longer afford business as usual. Bernie has called for a political revolution – and that is just what Americans need today.”

Clinton leads Sanders in polls of national and Iowa Democrats. But Sanders is leading Clinton in polls in New Hampshire, where a Real Clear Politics polling average has Sanders at 48 percent, Clinton at 43 percent and O’Malley at 4 percent.

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