Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) defended his endorsement timeline and vetting process during an interview on CBS News’s Face the Nation on Sunday, following questions regarding his early backing of former Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner.
During the broadcast, moderator Margaret Brennan asked Sanders whether he regretted not calling for Platner to drop out of the race sooner, given early warning signs, and if doing so might have benefited another Democratic candidate, Troy Jackson.
Platner eventually withdrew from the race following a series of allegations.
“No, I don’t think so,” Sanders said. “When we heard the serious allegations made against him, I wanted to get on the phone; I wanted to talk to him. I did. I asked, along with virtually all of his supporters, that he should get out of the race, and he did.”
Brennan then pressed the Vermont senator on whether he felt confident that other political candidates receiving his endorsement were thoroughly vetted beforehand.
“Well, look, I think, you know, there are hundreds of candidates,” Sanders replied. “I don’t know who has, quote, unquote, ‘been fully vetted’… All I know is, Margaret, the candidates that we are supporting are standing up for the working class of this country.”
Addressing the broader landscape of the Maine Senate race, Sanders expressed confidence in Troy Jackson, who is running to challenge incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins. Sanders described Jackson as a candidate with an “excellent” chance of winning, pointing to Jackson’s background and economic message.
“I think he can [win]… I’ve known Troy for many years,” Sanders said. “What he understands that, the people of Maine are sick and tired of a rigged economy in which the billionaire class is getting richer and richer, where we have more income and wealth inequality today than we’ve ever had in the history of this country, while 60% of our people, including in Maine, including in Vermont, all over this country, are living paycheck to paycheck, trying to put food on the table, trying to pay for health care, for housing, put aside a few bucks retirement. Troy understand that. He’s a working-class guy. He’s from the working class. He is very articulate. I think he stands an excellent chance to win.”
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