2016 Democratic Race: Bernie Sanders Scores Major Endorsement From Working Families Party
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., received a major endorsement for his bid in the Democratic presidential race on Tuesday from the Working Families Party.
The nationwide coalition of labor and progressive groups officially endorsed the Vermont senator after the majority of its members voted for Sanders in an online poll.
According to Mic, over 87 percent of members in the Working Families Party voted for Sanders, while 11.5 percent backed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and 1.1 percent supported former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. In addition to the membership vote, Sanders also won the backing of the group's national advisory board.
"We want to live in a nation that allows all people to live a decent life, no matter what is in their parents' bank account or who is in their family tree," Working Families Party National Director Dan Cantor said in a statement, according to The Nation. "But the super-rich have used their economic muscle to buy political muscle, and unless you're one of them, what you think government should do basically doesn't count. That's why we're standing with Bernie Sanders to build the political revolution and make our nation into one where every family can thrive."
In response to the endorsement, Sanders' campaign manager Jeff Weaver issued a statement, saying, "Bernie has devoted his career to helping working families and is gratified by the support of the Working Families Party. Together they will work to take on the billionaire class and change the rigged economy that is being held up by a corrupt political system," reports The Huffington Post.
After being founded in New York in 1998, the Working Families Party opened chapters in 10 states and launched a number of campaigns that have led to higher minimum wages and the creation of paid sick leave in several states.
Democratic front-runner Clinton, however, has stacked up endorsements from a variety of major unions, including the Service Employees International Union, the National Education Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
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