Bernie Sanders heavily emphasized his intention to sway superdelegates in order to help him overcome an insurmountable lead in the Democratic primary during a press conference in Washington D.C. on Sunday.
“Those superdelegates ought to seriously reflect whether they should cast their vote in favor of the vote of the states,” Sanders said of the prized delegates in states where he won majorities in the popular vote against Clinton. Despite assurances that he will back Clinton if she is the nominee, Sanders continued to suggest that the Democratic National Convention will be contested. He said that with continued success in upcoming contests, superdelegates will begin to come to his side as the Democratic candidate better suited to defeat a Republican candidate.
“The evidence is extremely clear that I would be the stronger candidate to beat a Republican,” Sanders said comparing himself to Clinton on the one-year anniversary of his campaign. When pressed as to how he would be able to sway these individuals and overcome insurmountable odds, Sanders said “it is not going to be easy.” His evidence was primarily his strong projected success in general election matchups against either leading Republican candidate.
“If I win a state with 70 percent of the vote, I think I’m entitled to those superdelegates.”
In recent days, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump has coopted some of Sanders’s messaging in an attempt to woo his supporters if and when he drops out of the race. The senator from Vermont promised that would not be the case on Sunday.
“He will not get that support,” Sanders concluded.
On his way to campaign in Indiana, which votes on Tuesday, Sanders seemed confident that he would be getting his 18th primary win.
—Gideon Resnick
