Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has been unable to shake off allegations of sexual harassment on his 2016 campaign, an issue that could dog his 2020 White House ambitions.
While Sanders, 77, is trying to be proactive and was slated to meet Wednesday with women who had made accusations of sexual harassment against Sanders 2016 staffers, Democrats warn that the issue will be difficult to counter — especially with a number of high-profile women running against him.
“He may be completely innocent when it comes to responsibility when it comes to this, but it’s definitely on the radar now, especially with all the women now [running for president],” said Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill. “Everybody’s going to have their issue that they put forward, and some that they’ll have a problem defending. But clearly, on that list of things that candidates have to defend, this is one of them.”
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For some Democrats, Sanders has already made major missteps in handling the situation after multiple staffers on his campaign complained of sexual harassment and pay disparity stemming from his first presidential bid. One Democratic strategist pointed to what they saw as a tone-deaf response immediately after the news broke when Sanders said he wasn’t aware of the allegations because he was “a little bit busy running around the country” trying to become president.
“I don’t think it’s a death knell for him … But I do think it’s a problem for him for sure,” said the Democratic strategist. “I don’t think Sanders handled this particularly well … If you can’t manage to create a culture in your presidential campaign, which is small compared to what happens in an administration, then I think it’s a big leap to ask that you can then be trusted with the presidency if you can’t keep track of the culture you’ve created and [what] your most trusted employees are doing and the way they’re managing your staff.”
In the #MeToo era, Sanders is trying to avoid the pitfalls that have taken down other Democrats, including former Rep. Elizabeth Etsy, who announced she would not run for re-election in November after mishandling an abuse claim by a staffer against her chief of staff, effectively ending her political career.
Among those steps is a change at the top. Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ longtime consultant and campaign manager on the 2016 bid, told the New York Times that he will not reprise his role. Democrats expect Sanders to hire a lot of women in high places on the campaign, in part to overcome the “Bernie bro” image and the charges against his 2016 team.
Sanders supporters say they are are confident that he is taking the proper steps. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., a supporter and friend of Sanders, said that news of meetings with accusers was an “an indication that he’s taking it seriously, and he should.”
“With the #MeToo movement, it’s an issue for every campaign,” Welch said, indicating that he will support him again if he runs. “Who knows when and how it will come up, and I think every campaign, including Sen. Sanders’, has to take it very, very seriously.”
Part of the issue, some Democrats argue, is the longtime structure of campaigns, particularly non-top tier presidential, Senate, and congressional operations, many of which do not include human resource departments. Some expect to see those become more common now.
Nevertheless, the issue could be a powerful one. Ironically, Sanders’ meeting with the accusers comes a day after Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., announced plans to form a presidential exploratory committee. Perhaps more than any other potential candidate, Gillibrand is expected to make #MeToo and sexual harassment a cornerstone of her bid.
“When that charge is levied against him by a woman, I think A) it’s a potent attack, and B) I personally don’t have a lot of faith that he’s going to handle that attack very well,” the Democratic strategist said. “You could just sort of imagine someone like Kirsten Gillibrand bringing this up in a debate, and the condescension and dismission he would show toward her could be devastating. That wouldn’t surprise me at all.”
