GOP congressman says Bernie Sanders' followers 'tap into what Donald Trump tapped into'

Bernie Sanders.
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

It's the Democratic Party's night, but don't think President Trump's campaign team isn't in Iowa on Monday evening for the state's caucuses. Sure, there's technically a Republican version, but the campaign mostly has its eyes on the president's potential Democratic challengers — especially Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), BuzzFeed News reports.

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), who's in Iowa, said Sanders and his voting base should be Trump's biggest concern in his quest for re-election because they seem to summon similar energy to their Trump counterparts. "They have a passion and, in a way, they tap into what Donald Trump tapped into but they do it from the left," Meadows said. "It's an anti-establishment, we-want-to-mix-things-up kind of environment. That's why Sanders will continue to be a factor and it's why a lot of people see him not just as a legitimate contender but the contender to beat."

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.