Moveon polled its members to see if enough of them supported a candidate to win the organization’s support, something that’s only happened once before (Obama 2008). 340,665 members cast a ballot, returning an unprecedented 78.6 majority in favor of Sanders.
Here’s the top five reasons the membership gave for their endorsement:
1. Bernie’s lifelong commitment to standing up to corporate and 1% interests to fight for an economy where everyone has a fair shot.
2. He’s standing up for justice for communities facing oppression.
3. He’ll say no to permanent war.
4. Electability: This election will hinge on turnout, and Bernie is inspiring and mobilizing the communities it’ll take to win.
5. Putting members in the driver’s seat is what MoveOn does, and a whopping 79 percent voted to endorse Bernie.
Bernie’s campaign is inspiring millions of people to enter the political process for the first time, including young people and other members of the “rising American electorate” who the eventual Democratic nominee will need to mobilize in order to win in November. He’s raised money from more contributors than any candidate in history at this stage in the primary process, and massive crowds have turned out to see him across the country. Part of why MoveOn members are supporting Bernie is that his agenda excites and inspires them, and they see it doing the same for others.
Experts agree that the general election will hinge on voter turnout. If the Obama coalition can be inspired to vote, Democrats will retain the White House. But if the electorate looks like it did in 2014, when Republicans gained ground across the country and seized control of the Senate, Democrats will be in trouble.
Not only do some new polls this week show Bernie leading the Democratic field in Iowa and New Hampshire, they also show him to be the Democratic candidate who performs best against various hypothetical Republican nominees.
MoveOn members support Bernie because they know his message has broad support and that he is well positioned to win the White House in a general election.
The Top 5 Reasons MoveOn Members Voted to Endorse Bernie (with the Most Votes and Widest Margin in Our History)
[Ilya Sheyman/Medium]