What Bernie & followers face now: thoughtful reporters take a 360º look

Record reporters Herb Jackson & Christopher Maag take a look at the choices facing Bernie Sanders and his supporters following big end of primary season losses in delegate-heavy states California and New Jersey. I’m quoted in the article:

But some Sanders supporters in New Jersey say they are sticking with him.

“I’ve been a loyal Democrat all my life, but at this point, I’ll tell you the truth, I may resign from the Democratic Party after this election,” said Kim Wei of Fair Lawn, who with her son, Ivan, was on the ballot as a Sanders delegate.

Clinton beat Sanders by 26 percentage points in New Jersey, winning every county but Sussex and Warren, which are home to just 2 percent of the Democratic votes cast statewide. Trump, whose only opposition was from a handful of supporters of Ted Cruz and John Kasich calling for a protest vote, won every county, and 81 percent of the vote statewide.

Wei said she was turned off by stories during this year’s primary season of polling places being closed by Democratic officials to suppress the Sanders vote , and she accused Clinton supporters of gaming the system.

My son, Ivan, is quoted too. We were both selected as Bernie delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

Ivan Wei said he’d support Clinton if it came down to a choice between her and Trump.

“But I’m hoping for a contested convention, especially seeing how Bernie Sanders is a better candidate against Trump,” Wei said.

Only one primary is left, that’s DC next Tuesday, the 14 June. But as the District of Columbia only has 20 pledged delegates to award, the results of this past Tuesday are pretty much the end point for this year’s Democratic Party primaries. Now, we have to see what Bernie intends to do and what his followers are planning to do, too