Former Sanders strategist says it'd be 'irrational' to 'keep this thing going'

(Image credit: Brittany Greeson/Getty Images)

published 11 March 2020

Even Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) former chief strategist thinks it might be time to hang up the campaign boots after former Vice President Joe Biden had another strong night, including winning the coveted Michigan primary Tuesday, The Atlantic reports.

Tad Devine, who is unaffiliated with the Sanders campaign this year, but served as a senior strategist for the senator's 2016 bid, said "there is no path to victory," especially considering Biden's base is turning out at higher rates. "It's just that simple," Devine said.

Sanders continued his ultimately unsuccessful run against Hillary Clinton in 2016 until June, but Devine believes sticking around that long again would be bad news for Democrats and Biden, who he says probably needs "the spring and the summer without Bernie." But Devine thinks the "smart" and "reasonable" Sanders will recognize that it's "irrational" to keep the campaign going precisely for that reason.

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Sanders' chances are certainly dwindling, The Atlantic reports, but some folks do want him to stick around for the next debate against Biden on Sunday, where he may still have an opportunity to prove he's better suited to take on President Trump head-to-head. "The stampede toward Biden was remarkably fast," said Robert Reich, a liberal economist and former labor secretary under President Bill Clinton. "That shows that his support is not absolutely steadfast, so it's at least possible that if his debate performance is very bad on Sunday, Bernie Sanders could have a renaissance." Read more at The Atlantic.

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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.

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