Bernie Sanders' secret weapon on the campaign trail: His wife

When her husband was first elected to Congress in 1990, Ms. Sanders attended orientation not as a spouse, but as a chief of staff who vetted potential aides for congressional experience and ideological fervor. She went on to be a press attaché who smoothed things over with reporters irritated by her prickly husband and who, according to other members of Congress, kept the professorial Mr. Sanders down to earth. As a media consultant she worked on his re-election ads, and as a political fellow traveler she participated in the formation of the House's progressive caucus."She has his ear like no one else in discussions at a very high level," said David Weinstein, the senator's senior policy adviser. "She speaks for Bernie, and it's not just because she's his wife. It's because she is his confidante." [The New York Times]