Allison Geyer
Josh Spitzer-Resnick had already cast a ballot for Hillary Clinton by the time Bernie Sanders arrived in Madison on Wednesday afternoon to stump for the Democratic presidential nominee.
It was an early vote, but it was also a reluctant one for the 19-year-old college student, who was an enthusiastic supporter of Sanders in the primary.
“Clinton is the one decent option left,” he said. “I wasn’t going to throw away my vote.”
Sanders — who launched rancorous attacks against Clinton in the primary — has for the past month been campaigning for his former rival in an attempt to urge his followers to support Clinton. Speaking before a crowd of about 1,200 at Monona Terrace alongside Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Russ Feingold and other Madison-area progressives, Sanders emphasized the common ground he shares with Clinton, promising to work closely with her administration if she wins the White House.
“Politics is more than a presidential election, and politics continue the day after the election,” Sanders told the crowd. “Our immediate job, in the next five weeks, is to galvanize as many people as we can to make sure Hillary Clinton is elected and Donald Trump is defeated.”
Sanders’ speech touched on an array of progressive policy positions, many of which were recycled from his campaign: reducing income inequality, raising the federal minimum wage, combating climate change, making college more affordable. He pledged to work with Clinton on a plan to make college tuition free for families earning less than $125,000 per year. He also warned of the country’s “movement toward oligarchy” and of the disproportionate power over politics held by the billionaire class, saying “Clinton understands” the issues and will fight for middle and working class families.
But his final plea to voters centered on the presidential candidates’ vastly different views on diversity and civil rights.
“There are a lot of reasons why we should support Secretary Clinton and oppose Donald Trump, but there is one I think more important than any other,” Sanders said. “From the inception of our country, people have struggled against racism and all kinds of discrimination … Donald Trump wants to take us back, [but] we will not allow bigotry to resurface in the United States.”
In Madison, where voters heavily favored Sanders over Clinton in the spring primary, supporters at the rally cheered the former candidate, with many showing up dressed in t-shirts bearing his name and slogans. At least twice, audience members interrupted his speech, shouting, “We want the Bern” and “Third party!” Sanders appeared unfazed by the outbursts.
The latest Marquette Law School Poll, released Sept. 21, showed that among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 48 percent of respondents said they would prefer Sanders as the Democratic nominee. Only 43 percent preferred Clinton.
For Sanders supporter Ben Davis, an 18-year-old who drove nearly two hours from Illinois to attend Wednesday’s rally, Sanders’ appeal wasn’t quite enough to convince him to vote for Clinton. Davis is leaning toward voting third party, but he’s torn between Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Libertarian Party Candidate Gary Johnson. But hearing about how Sanders plans to work with Clinton to pursue the progressive agenda has warmed him slightly to the Democratic nominee.
“I’m still a little unsure, but it definitely helped,” he said. “I have a little more faith now.”
