Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean insisted he is not worried about the potential of an avowed socialist winning the party’s nomination and the effects it could have on down-ballot candidates.
After winning the New Hampshire primary and Nevada caucuses, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is in a strong position ahead of Super Tuesday, during which more than a third of all delegates will be up for grabs.
His commanding lead has made centrist Democrats, who fear he would not fare well against President Trump in the general election, nervous. Dean, however, said he is “not at all” worried about what a Sanders win would mean for the party.
“He is certainly a polarizing candidate, but we have an incredibly polarizing person on the other side,” Dean said of Sanders on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday. “As I said before, he showed last night that he can energize our core base.”
He also said Sanders could help turn out swing voters who wouldn’t normally cast a ballot.
“If he continues to do this, I do think he’s going to be the nominee,” Dean said. “But I’m not ready to say that.”
He added, “But certainly, I’d probably rather be where Bernie is than anybody else.”
