Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton responded Sunday to Bernie Sanders’ claim that Clinton’s primary success is based on voters in Repubican-leaning Sourthern states, which the Democrats will not carry in November.
Critics called Sanders’ remarks dismissive of African-Americans, whose strong support have formed the core of Clinton’s support in the South, accounting for her large margins there.
“I don’t know what he was talking about. Because, the last time I looked at a map of the United States, the South was a part of our country just like every other region,” Clinton said on ABC’s “This Week.”
Clinton declined to repeat charges by her surrogates that Sanders’ statement was racially insensitive, though she noted that because Democrats in Southern states have little impact in presidential elections, their primary votes are particularly important.
“I value every voter,” Clinton said Sunday. “I’m not writing off any individual. I’m certainly not writing off any state or region our country. That’s why I have 2 to 3.4 million votes more than [Sanders] does.”
Clinton, the former Arkansas first lady, also said her Southern success can translate electorally for Democrats in November.
“When you win Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, those are all states that we can put into play in the general election,” Clinton said.
President Obama won Virginia and Florida in both 2008 and 2012. He won North Carolina in 2008, and came relatively close in Georgia as well. His numbers trailed off in those states in his re-election effort, however.
“I particularly want to support Democrats in states that have been voting against Democratic candidates for a while now to rebuild the Democratic Party,” Clinton said. “We’re going to try to make Georgia competitive. we’re going fight hard in North Carolina and Virginia and Florida.”
