Nominating a candidate who embraces the socialist label could leave the Democratic Party in ruin, according to House Majority Whip James Clyburn.
Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat who endorsed Joe Biden for president, urged his state not to support the candidacy of a self-described socialist such as Bernie Sanders. He warned that the socialist label could be stamped on any candidate running down-ballot in a way that could demolish any hopes of maintaining the Democratic majority in the House.
“I talked to the faith community [in Texas], and they were very, very concerned about whether or not you’d have somebody on the ticket that would cause down-ballot carnage,” Clyburn said in an interview on CNN’s New Day. “That’s our biggest problem, of my members. We want to see somebody on the ticket that will allow us to expand our numbers, not having to run some kind of a rearguard campaign in order to keep from being tarnished with a label.”
Clyburn said he’s not necessarily working against Sanders. “I’m not trying to stop anybody; I’m trying to create a surge on behalf of Joe Biden,” he said.
The congressman said Biden may need to blow out the competition in the South Carolina primary on Saturday if he wants to reignite his campaign. Biden struggled in Iowa and New Hampshire but placed second in Nevada.
“I would like to see double digits, and not just 10 or 11 [percentage point lead]. I would like to see 15 or 16. That’s what I want to see,” Clyburn said. “I have no idea, but I feel good about our chances of getting there.”
Clyburn said Biden is the type of candidate who can boost down-ticket Democrats, rather than creating another hurdle for party members seeking office in centrist districts.
“Most of these members know full well that if we are gonna have the kinds of programs that are necessary to make the greatness of this country accessible and affordable for all of its citizens, we need somebody at the top of our ticket who can bring people into the fold, reach out across the aisle, and create the kind of momentum we need in this country to move this democracy forward,” he said.
