Are Democrats ready to feel the Bern — again?
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt)'s brain trust recently held a retreat in Vermont, and The Associated Press reports that some of his associates are talking about a 2020 run like it's essentially a "foregone conclusion." Sanders' 2016 campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, confidently declared that he "starts off as a front-runner or one of the front-runners" this time if he decides to run. Weaver also said that Sanders' operation would be "much bigger" in 2020 than it was in 2016.
Sanders has previously said he would only run in 2020 if he felt he truly was the best candidate to defeat Donald Trump. But as the clock is ticking on Sanders' 2020 decision, AP reports, "There are no clear indications from Sanders or those closest to him, however, that he currently has that belief."
The Associated Press points out that in 2020, there will be more candidates campaigning on progressive ideas like Medicare-for-all than in 2016, so the Vermont senator is hardly a lock to win over liberals. "It's not 'Bernie or bust,'" Burt Cohen, New Hampshire's former state Senate majority leader, told AP. "That's certainly not the case."