After chaotic convention, Nevada Democratic Party chairwoman says she's receiving 'vile' messages from Sanders fans
The chairwoman of the Nevada Democratic Party says she's been on the receiving end of threatening phone calls and text messages from Bernie Sanders supporters, following a contentious state convention on Saturday.
Roberta Lange told The New York Times the messages have been "vile," and target not only her but also her children and grandchildren (Ralston Reports has screenshots of several expletive-filled texts and samples of voicemails). In February, Hillary Clinton won the Nevada caucuses, and the Sanders campaign then went to work trying to win delegates at county conventions. During the state convention in Las Vegas, almost 60 potential Sanders delegates were deemed ineligible, with some not showing up and others missing the registration deadline. Amid a dispute over the rules, people started to shout and throw things, the Times reports, and finally the convention was shut down after security no longer felt it could keep people safe.
Since the convention, Lange says she has received more than 1,000 calls and as many as three texts a minute from people across the country. One person said they knew where her grandchildren went to school and she should "prepare for hell," she says, and another told her she should be "hung in public execution." "I'm scared for my family," Lange said. "Scared for my kids." A spokesman for Sanders, Michael Briggs, told the Times Sanders does not condone violence, but the "senator believes that the Democratic Party all over the country would serve its own interests better if it were to figure out a way to welcome people who have been energized and excited by his campaign into the party. It would behoove the party to be more welcoming and engage those people."
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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