Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., defended his handling of his endorsement of former Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner during a Sunday interview after CBS News host Margaret Brennan questioned why he did not call for Platner to exit the race sooner.
Appearing on Face the Nation, Sanders was pressed over his early support for Platner in Maine and whether he regretted not urging the candidate to withdraw before serious allegations against him became public.
“You were an early supporter in Maine of Graham Platner. You helped him rise,” Brennan said. “Do you regret not acting earlier to call for him to drop out, given the warning signs? Would that have given you a leg up with [Troy] Jackson?”
Sanders rejected the suggestion that he should have acted sooner.
“No, I don’t think so,” the independent senator responded.
He said his position changed once the allegations against Platner became known.
“When we heard the serious allegations made against him, I wanted to get on the phone, I wanted to talk to him,” Sanders said. “I did. I asked, along with virtually all of his supporters, that he should get out of the race, and he did.”
Brennan then broadened the discussion, asking Sanders whether he was confident that the candidates receiving his endorsements had been thoroughly vetted before earning his support.
“But you are confident that with your endorsements, these other candidates have been fully vetted?” she asked.
Sanders acknowledged the difficulty of making that determination across a large number of campaigns.
“Well, look, I think, you know, there are hundreds of candidates,” Sanders replied. “I don’t know who has, quote, unquote, ‘been fully vetted’.”
Instead, Sanders said the primary factor guiding his endorsements is whether candidates advocate for working-class Americans.
“All I know is, Margaret, the candidates that we are supporting are standing up for the working class of this country,” he said.
Earlier in the interview, Sanders also discussed the Maine Senate race, expressing confidence in Democratic candidate Troy Jackson’s ability to defeat incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
“I think he can [win]…I’ve known Troy for many years,” Sanders said.
The Vermont senator argued that Jackson’s message aligns with the concerns of many voters in Maine, particularly those struggling with economic challenges.
“What he understands [is] 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,” Sanders said.
He continued by praising Jackson’s background and ability to communicate with voters.
“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,” Sanders said.
The exchange highlighted questions surrounding Sanders’ previous endorsement of Platner while also giving the senator an opportunity to explain his decision to withdraw support after the allegations surfaced and to reaffirm his backing of Jackson in the race against Collins.
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