Bernie Sanders may have improved his standing among black voters in Michigan, but that’s not going to be enough to support him in a general election, Rev. Al Sharpton cautioned reporters on Thursday morning.
“He has not resonated with African-American voters,” Sharpton said of Sanders while at the Christian Science Monitor breakfast in Washington. “Thirty percent of the black vote is good for a Republican but it isn’t good for a progressive Democrat.”
Sharpton, who has yet to make an endorsement in the 2016 Democratic primary, also criticized Sanders for making generalized comments about African-American voters during Sundays’ debate in Flint, Mich. When asked about his racial blind spots, Sanders replied that he didn’t know “what it’s like to be living in a ghetto,” a comment that got a largely negative response from the African-American community.
“But I think Sanders has to convince people in the black community not only that he understands their situation but that he relates to them,” Sharpton said. “To stereotype us is not only something that is offensive, but you have mislabeled us.”
A large part of the reason Hillary Clinton was not able to pull out a win in Michigan was that black voters did not turn up the polls in the numbers they were expected to. Sharpton cautioned that in order for a Democratic candidate to do well in the general election now, he or she needs to motivate turnout.
“There’s no black or Latino leader who can wave a wand and make things come,” Sharpton said, in reference to his current lack of endorsement.
While Sharpton criticized the Vermont senator’s inability to reach black voters, he praised the way he’s been able to connect with voters on issues of employment, Wall Street and income inequality. Similarly, he criticized Clinton’s inability to reach voters on economic issues, but praised her ability to reach minority voters. But it looks like it may be a while before the reverend makes up his mind.
“Balance is what has to happen and so far neither candidate has shown enough of that balance,” he added.
