CHARLESTON, S.C. — As Bernie Sanders emerged from last week’s raucous debate unscathed and eventually triumphant in the Nevada caucuses, Democratic Party rivals set their sights on the democratic socialist’s campaign, desperate to stop his momentum leading into Super Tuesday.
No candidate may be better positioned to stop the Sanders surge than billionaire Michael R. Bloomberg, currently tied for first among the crowded field of Democratic candidates in Virginia.
Sanders and Bloomberg lead in the commonwealth at 22 percent each, flowed by former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. at 18 percent. The poll from Monmouth University has a margin of error of +/- 4.9 percentage points.
The Monmouth survey notes only one in four Virginia voters is certain of who they will support March 3, when Virginia serves as one of the top delegate prizes among Super Tuesday primary states.
Could Sanders Make Virginia Dems Vulnerable?
Bloomberg campaign officials said the former New York mayor will seek to bolster his chances during Tuesday’s pivotal debate — a week before Virginia votes — taking aim at Sanders as Bloomberg was bloodied in Las Vegas.
Punctuating the point, a Bloomberg campaign memo obtained by WUSA9 said Sanders as the Democratic presidential nominee could endanger vulnerable U.S. House members in Virginia, representatives who were part of the “blue wave” in 2018.
The billionaire’s campaign noted House seats held by Rep. Abigail Spanberger (VA-07) and Rep. Elaine Luria (VA-02) could be put in danger, along with 40 other “front line” districts where support for President Donald Trump is high.
“Sanders is trailing Trump and falls further behind when hit for his socialist positions,” the memo and summary of internal polling states.
“When Sanders is attacked for being a socialist and ineffective, Trump opens a 6-point lead (43 percent to 49 percent) with advantages among independents (-4 Sanders) and moderate/conservative Republicans (-58 Sanders).”
The narrative is poised to play a major role in Bloomberg’s attacks going forward, aides said, as Sanders builds on momentum gained from a decisive win in Nevada.
Both Bloomberg & Sanders Vie for Virginia
Sanders organizers changed the venue of Thursday’s Richmond rally to increase capacity, moving from the National Theater near Capitol Square to the city’s Arthur Ashe Jr. Athletic Center.
The national front-runner will also appear in Springfield and Virginia Beach Sunday, with only Bloomberg announcing plans to visit Virginia within the next week.
Saturday will mark Bloomberg’s seventh trip to the commonwealth since his November presidential campaign launch. The Northern Virginia event will take place in state’s vote-rich Democratic bastion, as the campaign now boasts an unrivaled total of seven offices open stretching from Arlington to Danville.
Could Guns Play a Major Role?
The animating energy of Virginia’s 2020 General Assembly session has been sweeping gun control proposals, with Democrats now controlling both the legislative chambers for the first time since 1995.
With Bloomberg’s gun organization Everytown for Gun Safety bankrolling one in five Virginia House of Delegates campaigns in Northern Virginia last fall, the campaign is positioned to run on an activist gun control record.
The mayor’s advocacy becomes more complicated when memories of New York City’s stop-and-frisk policies are invoked, as Sanders did last week in Las Vegas.
“Mr. Bloomberg had policies in New York City of stop-and-frisk which went after African American and Latino people in an outrageous way,” Sanders said. “That is not a way you’re going to grow voter turnout.”
After apologizing for stop-and-frisk in a moment largely panned by members of the debate audience and rivals on stage, Bloomberg launched an online attack on Sanders this week, suggesting Sanders was elected to Congress with the help of the NRA IN 1990.
Sanders received a D-minus rating from the NRA in 2012, a rating that is archived by Bloomberg's own Everytown group.
The two candidates are largely in agreement when it comes to gun policy — with one exception.
While Bloomberg agrees that federal law requires all gun owners to obtain a license, Sanders believes gun licenses should only be required for assault weapons.
Both Bloomberg’s and Sanders’ gun safety plans say the federal minimum age to purchase a gun be increased to 21 for all sales, with Sanders making an exception for guns primarily used for hunting.