Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) accused the Democratic Party of rigging elections and closing the door to a fair primary process, agreeing with assessments that it has become “a threat to democracy.”

The staunchly progressive Sanders typically caucuses with Democrats and ran as one during two presidential bids in 2016 and 2020. In both campaigns, he lost the party’s primary nomination despite enjoying popular support, fueling criticism that hostile Democratic leaders blocked his path to victory because he posed a threat to entrenched establishment interests.