Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders predicted on Sunday that most of the 13 million voters who cast their ballots for him in the Democratic primary will shift their support to Hillary Clinton now that she is the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee.
“We have over 13 million people supporting my candidacy, and I have no doubt that there are some of those people who will not vote for Hillary Clinton,” Sanders told CBS’ John Dickerson. “But I would say that the vast majority of people [who] take a hard look at the issues … more of those people will come on board Secretary Clinton’s campaign.”
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Sanders encouraged those of his supporters who remain reluctant to support Clinton to “take a hard look at the issues affecting the American people.”
“I would ask my supporters to get away from the personality conflicts that media tries to bring forward and focus on the real issues impacting the American people and when you do that, I think the choice is clear that Hillary Clinton is far and away the superior candidate,” he said.
Sanders listed the areas where he believes Clinton trumps her Republican opponent: “Which candidate wants to overturn this disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which has undermined American democracy? That is Hillary Clinton’s position. Which candidate wants to raise the minimum wage to a living wage? That is Hillary Clinton’s position.
“Which candidate understands that climate change is real and that we have to transform our energy system in order to help save this planet? Donald Trump thinks that climate change is a hoax. Hillary Clinton understands that it is real and we have to act boldly.”
Sanders’ comments come as Trump continues to make a play for the socialist senator’s supporters by reminding them that Clinton belongs to the “rigged” system that he says denied Sanders the Democratic nomination. The Republican presidential nominee has also used his position on trade to court Sanders supporters who oppose multinational trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
