Bernie Sanders Beefs Up Staffers in Pennsylvania as Movement Spirals

The Sanders campaign is beefing up its presence in Pennsylvania despite the widespread belief that his political revolution is losing steam.

Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) campaign on Friday announced the opening of five offices in the Keystone State ahead of its April 28 primary. However “the campaign quickly warned they may not stay open for long, given a shift to more digital organizing prompted by the coronavirus pandemic,” according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“Pennsylvania voters have the power to move this movement forward, and we’re fighting for every vote over the next six weeks,” Sanders’ Pennsylvania state coordinator Brooke Adams said, according to the paper.

Sanders, once considered the Democrat frontrunner, began to lose momentum after losing ten states to Joe Biden (D) on Super Tuesday — a happening that unfolded in the 72 hours between South Carolina primary and Super Tuesday as establishment Democrats made their moves.

Sanders suffered another batch of losses during the March 10 primaries, including Michigan, the biggest prize of the night. He lost to Biden by over 16 percentage points but told supporters the following day that he would remain in the race and looked forward to debating his “friend” one-on-one on Sunday.

“Today I say to the Democratic establishment, in order to win in the future, you need to win the voters who represent the future of our country, and you must speak to the issues of concern to them,” he said in his address, touting his popularity with younger generations.

“You cannot simply be satisfied by winning the votes of people who are older,” he added.

The Vermont lawmaker admitted in an address on Friday that the Chinese coronavirus pandemic is affecting his campaign’s ability to interact with voters in a traditional way. He said his staff is “by and large” working from home but added that it is utilizing its Internet capabilities to reach voters. He also said it is “absolutely appropriate” for local officials to follow the guidance of public health experts and postpone elections if it is in the best interest of the public health.

He said:

So all I would say is I think that the governors and the officials in the states that are — that have elections scheduled for Tuesday — have to balance things. Again. Rescheduling elections is not something we do lightly or should do lightly. On the other hand, at this particular moment, it’s absolutely appropriate that public officials, governors, etc. listen to public health officials. And your point is also important, to make sure that everybody that wants to vote has the right to vote and that may be the case today.

Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin confirmed on Friday that the state will postpone its April 4 elections for roughly two months amid coronavirus fears. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania State Rep. Kevin Boyle (D) is introducing a bill requiring officials to mail every eligible voter a mail-in ballot:

PA needs to be realistic about the Apr 28 election. We don’t know what the future beholds or whether in person voting will be safe let alone viable for citizens & election workers alike. With this in mind I’m introducing a bill today to require all voters to be mailed a ballot.

— Rep. Kevin J. Boyle (@RepKevinBoyle) March 12, 2020

“I think this is, unfortunately, a once-in-a-lifetime crisis that we’re facing,” he said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“If that were to unfold, you’re talking about a situation where I think it would be unrealistic to have in-person voting on April 28,” he added.

He believes the legislature must move on the bill quickly and warned that, if it does not pass, “it becomes a realistic option that we don’t have a primary on April 28.”