Despite Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) quick endorsement of and unity efforts with former Vice President Joe Biden, former senior advisers to the senator's 2020 campaign say Sanders' backers still are hesitant to support Biden.
There's a "clear and dangerous trend" that shows the two campaigns' supporters haven't melded, former senior advisor Jeff Weaver writes in a memo obtained by NBC News. "Despite best intentions, the Biden campaign and the DNC are far behind on digital organizing, Latino outreach, and progressive coalition building," Weaver continues in the memo shared among the new newly formed "America's Promise" PAC, which tries to get Sanders supporters to back the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Weaver told NBC News he knew not every Sanders backer would fall into line with Biden's camp. But with a recent poll showing one in four Sanders supporters aren't behind Biden yet, Weaver thought it was time to sound the alarm. He told NBC News that America's Promise — formed despite Sanders' opposition to PACs — will use the next six months to draw attention to where Sanders and Biden overlap, such as on a $15 minimum wage, reducing the cost of college education, and expanding health care access.
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Biden's Latino outreach — or lack therof — has been widely panned, and his digital presence has seen criticism and technical problems as the 2020 presidential race is run nearly entirely online amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sanders has already distanced himself from America's Promise. The group abandoned its original name, A Future to Believe In, at Sanders' request, Weaver said.
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