Solve Israel's Problems » Please Share Our ArticlesSanders says he'll likely vote for Clinton

Sanders says he’ll likely vote for Clinton

June 24, 2016

Senator Bernie Sanders, who ran for the Democratic party’s presidential nomination, told CNN on Friday he will likely vote for his rival Hillary Clinton for president in November.

While this was the strongest expression of support yet from the Vermont senator, he left the door open that he could change his mind.

“In all likelihood, it will be Hillary Clinton,” Sanders told CNN, adding he was focused on his leverage over the Democratic party platform.

“My job right now as a candidate is to fight to make sure that the Democratic Party not only has the most progressive platform in the history of the Democratic Party, but that that platform is actually implemented by elected officials,” he added.

He also declined to say whether the time will come that he fully endorses Clinton, saying he is waiting to see what she says about his priorities. He also would not say explicitly that she won the nomination fairly.

“I think the system has many, many flaws, but we knew what we were getting into,” he said. “I’m not saying that they changed the rules. No, they didn’t.”

Clinton clinched the Democratic nomination after a win in the New Jersey Democratic party primary several weeks ago.

Sanders earlier this week acknowledged he will likely not be the party’s presidential nominee, but did not suspend his campaign.

In Friday’s interview, he expressed time and again that he was working to defeat Trump. Asked by CNN if the lack of a 100% answer meant he would vote Trump, Sanders said, “Oh, God no.”

Earlier, in another TV appearance on MSNBC, Sanders was firmer in his support for Clinton.

“Yes. Yes, I think the issue right here is I am going to do everything I can to defeat Donald Trump. I think Trump in so many ways will be a disaster for this country if he were to be elected president,” he said in that interview, when asked if he’d vote for Clinton.

Since Clinton became the presumptive Democratic nominee, Sanders has been plotting his political future and held a series of meetings with top Democrats, including President Barack Obama and Clinton herself.

On CNN, Sanders said while he knows he hasn’t run a campaign that won the Democratic nomination, he still sees the chance for victory of sorts.

“I don’t have the votes to become the Democratic nominee, you know that, I know that, we’re good at arithmetic,” he said, but added that if he can get the party to embrace free public college tuition, a $15 minimum wage and an aggressive battle with climate change, “you know what? I think I’ve run a winning campaign.”

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)

Protect and Support Israel by Sharing our Articles