After losing the Democratic primary campaign to Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders succeeded in influencing the party's platform to tilt more to his views, but his greatest contribution may still be in front of him, as many Democrats in key Senate races are seeking his support, Politico reports.
Democrats need to pick up at least four seats if they are to regain control of the Senate, assuming Hillary Clinton wins the presidency.
Sanders' endorsement and help is particularly being sought in swing states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania, where his anti-trade and populist stance is popular because many blame multinational trade deals for the loss of numerous blue-collar jobs.
A spokesman for Democrat Katie McGinty, who is running against Republican Sen. Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania, told Politico she would enthusiastically campaign with Sanders.
Democrat Ted Strickland's campaign spokesman said Sanders would be a great asset in the fight against Republican Sen. Rob Portman because his "message of fighting for working families and opposing unfair, job-killing trade deals certainly resonates in Ohio."
Other states with a high percentage of young people due to large university populations, such as Wisconsin and Iowa, are also seeking the help of Sanders, whose message resonates with college-age voters.
But, for the most part, Sanders has not yet lent a hand. The main reason appears to be that he is working on the launch of his new political group, Our Revolution, a nonprofit organization that will focus on backing candidates who support his liberal policies.
Sanders is not expected to formally support any candidates until One Revolution is up and running later this month. When that happens, many say Sanders will be a great asset for the Democrats.
Former Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Political Director Martha McKenna told The Huffington Post that "Anywhere where we're going to be talking about standing up for middle-class economic values and sort of fighting back against big money in politics and Republicans who are part of that problem, who take a lot of corporate money ... I think Bernie is really good about bringing those issues to light."
During his speech last week at the Democratic National Convention, Sanders appeared to indicate it was his intention to give as much support as he could, saying "Our job now is to see that platform implemented by a Democratic Senate, a Democratic House and a Hillary Clinton presidency, and I am going to do everything I can to make that happen."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.