Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz pushed back against talk about problems within the Democratic Party base as Sen. Bernie Sanders vows to take his campaign to the July convention, calling their issues “small potatoes” compared to Republicans’.
The Florida congresswoman told Fox News Friday morning that pressure “isn’t terribly high” for Sanders to drop his bid so the party can unify before training her fire on the Republicans, saying they are in “chaos.”
“The pressure really isn’t terribly high [for Sanders to drop out],” Wasserman Schultz told host Bill Hemmer. “We have a primary nominating contest … and it’s going to play out.”
“Make no mistake … we’re preparing for the general election. We’re working with our state parties, standing up our coordinated campaigns, placing staff,” Wasserman Schultz said. We are able to walk and chew gum at the same time, and whenever we have a presumptive nominee, we’ll not only focus on unifying, but we’ll certainly make sure that we can ramp up and get ready for our convention so we can launch our nominee into the White House.
“The larger problem is that the Republicans are in chaos. This is small potatoes,” she continued, noting House Speaker Paul Ryan’s decision not to back him and the many Republicans not attending the convention.
Sanders has repeatedly said that he plans to stick in the race until the July convention in Philadelphia, where he’s said that if he can’t win the nomination, he at least wants to help shape the party platform.
