Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday adopted a conciliatory tone when asked about Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who has bucked the party establishment and continued to be a thorn in the side of their presumptive nominee, Hillary Clinton.
“I think we should just lay off Bernie Sanders a little bit, OK?” Reid, D-Nev., said when asked about Sanders’ latest moves against the party, which include a call for California voters to register as “no party preference” in the state’s upcoming primary. “He’s done some really good things. The party has changed during his tenure here, and we’ll see what happens. I think Bernie is a good man and he tries to do the right thing.”
Sanders, who registered as an Independent when he ran for his U.S. Senate seat, is also endorsing the primary opponent of Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
Sanders trails Clinton in the popular primary vote and in the delegate count, but continues to win primaries and has refused to drop out. He has suggested the primary system is rigged in favor of Clinton.
Reid nonetheless defended Sanders, a week after he called Sanders to ask that he denounce violent protests provoked by his supporters at the Nevada Democratic Convention earlier this month.
“I’ve had conversations with Bernie and he’s a good person doing his best to effectuate what he believes in, and I have no criticism of him at this stage,” Reid said.
