Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was the only individual on Wednesday night’s debate stage who expressed the belief that whichever candidate goes into the Democratic National Convention with the most delegates this summer — regardless if it is a majority — should be the party’s nominee.
Moderator Chuck Todd asked the candidates on the Las Vegas debate stage, “Should the person with the most delegates at the end of this primary season be the nominee, even if they are short of a majority?”
“There’s a very good chance none of you are going to have enough delegates to the Democratic National Convention to clench this nomination, OK?” Todd noted as he set up the question.
All of the candidates, minus Sanders, declined to say that the individual with the most delegates should automatically be the party’s nominee:
MSNBC's Chuck Todd asked the candidates if the person with the most delegates at the end of the primary season should be the nominee even if they don't have a majority of the delegates. Only one person on stage had a different answer from the others. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/owrJtetRjh
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 20, 2020
“Whatever the rules of the Democratic Party are, they should be followed,” Michael Bloomberg (D) said.
“But a convention working its will means that people have the delegates that are pledged to them and they keep those delegates until you come to the convention,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) declared.
“Play by the rules,” Joe Biden (D) said, adding, “Let the process work its way out.”
Pete Buttigieg (D) said the leading candidate should not get the nomination “until there’s a majority,” and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) followed her competitors in the call to “let the process work.”
Sanders adamantly disagreed.
“Well, the process includes 500 super delegates on the second ballot. So I think that the will of the people should prevail, yes. The person who has the most votes should become the nominee,” he said.
“Thank you, guys. Five noes and a yes,” Todd concluded.
Sanders also reiterated his stance in a tweet late Wednesday night.
“Here’s a radical idea: The person with the most votes should be the Democratic nominee,” he wrote:
Here’s a radical idea: The person with the most votes should be the Democratic nominee. #DemDebate
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 20, 2020
At this point in the race, Buttigieg leads Sanders by a single delegate. However, all eyes are on the upcoming Nevada caucuses, South Carolina primary, and Super Tuesday — where a sizable chunk of delegates will be allotted.
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