Reporters literally trapped Bernie Sanders after the debate

Reporters trying to reach Bernie Sanders in the spin room

(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

published 14 October 2015

Hillary Clinton might have emerged the victor at the first Democratic debate of the 2016 presidential election on Tuesday night, but Bernie Sanders maintained his wild popularity even after the show was over. Yet whoever said being popular was easy?

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In fact, the spin room was so crowded with reporters that Sanders and his wife got physically trapped:

Then, as he exited the hall to yet another scrum, and the mass of slow moving feet turned into pushing and elbowing as cameras jockeyed for position, Mr. Sanders had had enough."Excuse me," he shouted, a hand raised in the air. "Please move. Stop this."The herd only swelled further. So Mr. Sanders placed a hand on the back of a security guard, and started to make for the exit. But his pace was too quick, and his wife was stuck back in the stampede of reporters and cameramen.He stopped his entourage. "Jane," he yelled. [The New York Times]

"Well I think there is some interest, and maybe some people think we did OK tonight," Sanders told The New York Times when he finally had a second to breathe.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.