As Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has seen a surge in his poll numbers, several Democrats have raised concerns that he has an electability problem.
However, one of President Donald Trump’s advisors — Kellyanne Conway — suggested that Democrats shouldn’t be too concerned about Sanders’ electability based on how he performed during the 2016 Democratic presidential primary.
In an op-ed published in The Washington Post on Thursday, Conway notes that while former Vice President Joe Biden has been leading in the polls — and Democratic voters say they want the candidate with the best chance of beating Trump — Sanders has a record of driving out voter turnout and winning.
“If Democrats were serious about electability, they’d nominate the guy who actually won primary contests and proved he can play David to Goliath in key places four short years ago. Sanders bested Clinton in 22 states in 2016, including battlegrounds such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, while earning more than 13 million votes and 1,800 delegates.”
She continues to note that Sanders has raised more money than Biden, and has stuck in the race longer than many other candidates who were once considered to have a real shot at winning the nomination.
She adds that Biden has cast himself as the candidate with the best chance of beating Trump, but as he “crows of a cue card” and he is missing the “electricity” needed to win the election. Conway wrote:
“‘Only I can beat Donald Trump,’ Biden crows off of a cue card, even as he confuses Iowa with Ohio and lies about his past positions on the Iraq War and whether to kill Osama bin Laden. Biden lacks electricity, but owns ‘electability.'”
Finally, Conways rips into the electability argument — noting that it’s easy for a candidate to claim that they’re electable, but the results may prove otherwise.
“The electability pitch may seem rational, but it is neither philosophical nor inspirational. It is also not provable. There is no true evidence that someone can or cannot win until they do or do not win. In one CNN poll in August 2007, Clinton trounced Obama in electability. She went on to be a two-time presidential loser; he, a two-term president.”
Conway’s comments come after several Democratic figures, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have spoken out about Sanders.
Additionally, one of former President Barack Obama’s former campaign managers warned on Thursday that Sanders would be “the worst candidate in a general election.”
Another report said that Obama might publicly speak out against Sanders in a bid to prevent him from winning the nomination, though sources close to Obama have given “a collective LOL” to that report.
