As Bernie Sanders makes public push for superdelegates, top aide calls strategy 'ironic'

Bernie Sanders talks to reporters at the National Press Club — (Image credit: Olivier Douliery/AFP/Getty Images)

On Sunday, Sen. Bernie Sanders held a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, outlining his case for why Democratic superdelegates should abandon Hillary Clinton and side with him. His first argument, which he makes frequently, is that polls show him beating Donald Trump by wider margins than Clinton in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup. "They're going to have to go into their hearts, and they are going to have to ask, do they want the second strongest candidate to run against Trump or do they want the strongest candidate?" Sanders said.

Sanders' second argument was that he is "entitled" to the support of superdelegates in states he won by large margins, using Washington State as an example — he won the caucus with 73 percent of the vote, but 10 Washington superdelegates have backed Clinton while none have backed him. "I would ask the superdelegates from the state of Washington to respect the wishes of the people in their state," he said. Even if he flipped all the superdelegates in the 11 states his campaign listed, plus won the uncommitted ones, The Washington Post noted, Sanders would net 77 superdelegates, barely denting Clinton's current 520-39 lead. There are 719 superdelegates (including Sanders himself, but not Hillary Clinton), and they can vote for either candidate.

In the pledged delegate count, Clinton is leading Sanders by 327 delegates, according to the Associated Press tally, meaning Sanders has to win 65 percent of the remaining delegates to catch up with Clinton in pledged delegates. At Sunday's news conference, a reporter asked Sanders senior adviser Tad Devine if the Sanders plan to win by poaching Democratic Party insiders was "strange," given his anti-Establishment campaign message. "Can I use 'ironic' instead of 'strange?'" Devine replied.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.