Dick Van Dyke endorses Sanders, calls for support from older voters

Legendary comedian and actor Dick Van Dyke on Friday endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for president and urged older voters to back the Vermont lawmaker. 

“Why wouldn’t an older citizen vote for somebody with that kind of a record and with that kind of experience and honesty and trust?” Van Dyke, 94, said in a video circulated by Sanders’s campaign. “It just doesn’t make sense to me that he’s not getting my generation. And I want to urge my generation to get out and vote for him, please.”

“He never has changed his attack because of pressure from the outside or when he felt the wind was blowing another way. He stuck with who he is and what he believes.” –Dick Van Dyke pic.twitter.com/j8bKHBlCkT

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 22, 2020

Van Dyke, who also backed Sanders in 2016, said he was endorsing him again because of his consistency in his policies over the years. 

“Bernie has been consistent with his policies ever since I first met him when he was in the Senate. He never has changed his attack because of pressure from the outside or when he felt the wind was blowing another way,” he said. “He stuck to who he is and what he believes in. So I think somebody younger, like Bernie, is just a perfect candidate.”

The endorsement comes as Sanders surges in national and state polls, a boost that was fueled by strong showings in Iowa and New Hampshire and a fiercely loyal online donor base.

While Sanders is set to perform well in Nevada and South Carolina, as well as several Super Tuesday states, polls have shown him lagging among older voters, particularly those over the age of 65. However, he has offset that with strong numbers with younger voters.