Sanders calls out DNC chair over endorsement of Cuomo

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday criticized Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tom Perez for choosing sides in New York’s gubernatorial primary, arguing that kind of party intervention sends a bad sign to progressive candidates across the country. 

When asked during an interview with The Washington Post whether Perez made a mistake when he endorsed New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo during the party’s convention last month, Sanders replied “absolutely.” 

Cuomo is facing a primary challenge from his left from actress Cynthia Nixon. 

{mosads}Sanders was asked by Post reporter James Hohmann whether the endorsement will “make it harder to trust that progressive candidates in 2020 will get a fair shake when they’re wading into primaries like this.” 

“Yep, it does. … There is massive discontent with the political system. People don’t vote, people often hold their noses and vote,” said Sanders, who ran for president in 2016 as a progressive, but lost the Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton

“Open the doors of the Democratic Party, welcome working people, welcome young people in, welcome idealism in. When you have the head of the DNC — and I’ve worked OK with Perez on some areas, and I’ll mention that in a moment — But to endorse one candidate over another is not what the chair of the DNC should be doing.”

The DNC is not expected to spend resources to boost Cuomo.