Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren Considering Private Jets for Travel to Iowa Events

Chartering private jets to travel back and forth from Washington, DC, to campaign events may be an option for some Democrat presidential candidates.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) are reportedly considering using private jets to travel to their campaign events in Iowa following the impeachment proceedings, according to the Hill.

Despite his urgent calls to fight so-called climate change, Sanders is expected to jet to his event this weekend.

“Warren hasn’t finalized her plans but is also considering private travel, and Amy Klobuchar hasn’t ruled it out. Only Michael Bennet says he’ll be flying commercial,” according to the Associated Press.

The report continued:

The senators are facing an unprecedented challenge in the final days before the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses. At a time when they would typically barnstorm the state, they’re instead stuck in Washington as jurors in President Donald Trump’s impeachment case. The little time they have for campaigning makes commercial travel tough.

But the private planes present unique issues for Warren and Sanders. As the leading progressive voices in a crowded Democratic primary, they often criticize rivals they deem insufficiently loyal to those values. The sudden use of private travel is an example of how ideological rigidity can sometimes collide with White House aspirations.

January 9, Sanders told Late Show host, Stephen Colbert, that he and his fellow candidates had at one time considered chartering a private jet as a group.

“Actually, we have used jets previously, and that was an idea we thought of. Those are expensive so we thought we’d all chip in and ride together,” he commented.

October 30, Warren said during an interview on New Hampshire Public Radio that she had been “mostly” flying commercial airlines in an effort to fight climate change, adding that her campaign was looking into other ways to reduce its carbon footprint.

“We must meet the urgency of the moment, and a comprehensive approach to addressing climate change would be a top priority in a Warren administration,” her campaign website stated.

“When it comes to climate change, our very existence is at stake. We must meet the urgency of the moment – with a Green New Deal to transform our economy and save our planet.”