Bernie Sanders Knocks DNC Chief For Endorsing Cuomo

Sen. Bernie Sanders said Wednesday that the chairman of the Democratic National Committee had “absolutely” made a mistake by offering an endorsement of Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his contested primary for reelection.

“To endorse one candidate over another is not what the chair of the DNC should be doing,” Sanders (I-Vt.) said during an interview with The Washington Post.

Sanders was asked if chairman Tom Perez’s endorsement of Cuomo was a mistake in a Democratic race that also includes Cynthia Nixon, who has won the backing of several liberal organizations.

“Absolutely,” Sanders said.

Nixon has been endorsed by Our Revolution, a progressive political organization that grew out of Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Perez’s endorsement of Cuomo last week at an event in Long Island rankled many progressives, specifically since the DNC had just implemented a new policy of not endorsing in contested primaries.

Cuomo, who has once sought Sanders’ backing by inviting him to his rollout last year of free college, did not comment. But a deputy in his office tweeted a “reminder” that Sanders “will not actually run as a DEMOCRAT” this year.

The tweet was deleted shortly after it was posted.