Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) ended his presidential campaign Wednesday, leaving former vice president Joe Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee.
It was less than a month ago that Sanders lost Idaho in the state’s Democratic primary by a few thousand ballots. It was a surprise turn of events, since he had walloped Hillary Clinton with 78% of the vote in 2016.
Justin Snyder has been a big Bernie organizer in Idaho, both in 2016 and his most recent campaign – even going to Iowa a couple months ago to knock on doors for him.
Snyder said it stung to hear the news, but kicking President Donald Trump (R) out of the White House is one of his biggest priorities.
“I know that it hurts right now to not have our candidate, but it’s going to hurt even more if we have another four years of Trump,” he said.
While Snyder doesn’t think Biden has done enough to reach out to the left wing of the Democratic Party, he’s happy that Sanders’ ideas have become more mainstream.
“Medicare for all and providing higher education as a public good are no longer fringe ideas and we won overwhelmingly with people under 50, so I really think our future is bright.”
He hopes Biden will pick a strong progressive as a running mate, someone like former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, or Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
For now, though, he says he’s setting presidential politics aside to help organize local Idaho races.
Follow James Dawson on Twitter @RadioDawson for more local news.
Copyright 2020 Boise State Public Radio
Member support is what makes local COVID-19 reporting possible. Support this coverage here.
