Bernie Sanders Presidential Campaign 2020

Bernie Sanders 2020 Campaign Slogan

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Bernie Sanders Presidential Campaign 2020 is the 2020 Presidential Campaign Infrastructure for Bernie Sanders.

Campaign co-chairs

February 2019 Sen. Bernie Sanders tapped Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), San Juan, Puerto Rico Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner (D) and Ben Cohen, a co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, to serve as co-chairs of his presidential campaign.

Khanna, in particular, is likely to play a critical role in boosting Sanders’ chances in California. The Golden State primary, where home-state Sen. Kamala Harris (D) would be a natural favorite, is slated to occur on March 3 ― much earlier than in previous primaries.

Khanna has teamed up with Sanders on legislation attempting to stop U.S. support for the Saudi war in Yemen, as well as a bill that helped pressure Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos into raising his employees’ wages.

“Every 50 years, there is someone who can fundamentally alter the course of American politics,” said Khanna, an outspoken progressive in his second term representing Silicon Valley in the House. “Bernie Sanders has the chance to reorient our economic policy towards workers and communities left behind instead of corporate interests and to reorient our foreign policy to prioritize peace, diplomacy and restraint instead of war.”

The campaign has also retained Analilia Mejia, the state director of New Jersey Working Families, as its national political director, and Sarah Badawi, the government affairs director of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, as its deputy political director.

Communications director

• Mike Casca, Sanders' communications director.

Field director

The Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign has tapped a Lancaster woman to be its national field director.

Becca Rast, 29, has been named to the campaign’s leadership team as it prepares for its official launch later this month.

National Events Program Organizer

Tomas Kennedy November 2019 National Events Program Organizer at Bernie Sanders.

Old Occupiers

Sanders' 2020 senior adviser Winnie Wong, national organizing director Claire Sandberg, California grassroots director Melissa Byrne, national field director Becca Rast, and deputy national field director Nick Martin were all on the ground for Occupy, in one city or another, in 2011.

Debt Collective debt

In June 2019, Bernie Sanders and representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Pramila Jayapal held a press conference outside the Senate and announced the College for All Act of 2019, which, if passed and signed into law, would cancel all student debt and make public college free.

They shared the podium with members of the he Debt Collective, an offshoot of Occupy Wall Street Astra Taylor cofounded.

Our group put student debt cancellation on the national radar when we launched a groundbreaking student debt strike. The strike began with 15 former students who had attended for-profit colleges and bravely refused to pay their federal loans. That led to a larger campaign that has helped secure over a billion dollars in debt relief for tens of thousands of people, and has been said to rankle Donald Trump’s billionaire secretary of education, Betsy DeVos.

The Debt Collective has also made progress on the issue of medical debt abolition. In 2012, we launched something called the Rolling Jubilee, which involved buying portfolios of medical debt on the secondary debt market (where it is sold for pennies on the dollar), just like debt collectors do. But instead of collecting on the debts, we erased them. Ultimately, we wiped out over $15 million in predatory medical debt this way. In September, we were overjoyed when Sanders proposed eliminating all $81 billion of medical debt currently in collections using a mechanism similar to the one we devised.

When we first raised the idea of debt resistance and debt cancellation at Occupy, we were mocked. We’ve come a long way: Thousands of people have had their loans erased; our efforts have influenced the 2020 Democratic primary; and we’re planning an even bigger campaign to ensure full student debt relief and free college become not just proposals but realities. Remember this: If the federal government ends up canceling your student loans, you’ll have Occupy to thank for it.

Iowa hires

The Sanders campaign announced the following hires March 2019:

• Misty Rebik, state director. Rebik was campaign manager for Cathy Glasson's primary run for Iowa governor. She previously worked for One Iowa and served as co-founder and founding director of the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa.
• Jess Mazour, political director. Mazour was previously lead organizer on the farm and environment team at Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement.
• Evan Burger, state caucus director. Burger was a senior organizer for Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and previously worked as the Iowa advance director for Sanders' 2016 campaign.
• Pete D'Alessandro, senior advisor. D'Alessandro directed Sanders' 2016 Iowa campaign and went on to work as the Oklahoma state director, Indiana state director, northern California director and the National Convention delegate director.

Iowa

Bernie Sanders 2020 Announces 11 New Endorsements from Latino Leaders in Iowa

"Endorsements Build on Momentum Following Rallies with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Iowa Campaign Co-Chair LULAC State Director Nick Salazar

"DES MOINES -- Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign on Friday announced 11 new endorsements from Latino workers, activists and small business owners across Iowa. The endorsers include a DACA recipient, who has issued their support for Sen. Sanders as the U.S. Supreme Court deliberates on the fate of Dreamers and the DACA program.

"“Across this state, Latino Iowans are standing up and fighting for justice,” said Bernie 2020 Iowa Co-Chair Nick Salazar. “Bernie has the most progressive immigration policy in presidential history. Bernie knows where he came from, standing up for immigrant families like his. Bernie will always fight for our health care, our families and our fellow workers because our fight is his fight.”

"Ahead of holding the largest rally in Iowa of any Democratic candidate with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez last week, Sanders unveiled his Welcoming and Safe America for All plan, the most comprehensive immigration plan of any presidential candidate. Latino voters are a core part of Sanders’ movement, with the campaign receiving more contributions from Latino voters than any other candidate.

"The 11 latest endorsers join 11 previously announced by the campaign, including prominent community activists Maria Bribriesco, Manny Galvez and Denise Diaz.

"newest endorsers include:

• Kenia Calderon Ceron, Des Moines -- DACA recipient and activist
• Karina Chavez, Des Moines -- Co-founder, Al Exito
• Ruben Chavez, Iowa City -- Immigration activist and youth athletics coach
• Maria Filippone, Des Moines -- Physician and small business owner
• Araceli Lopez, Ames -- President, Iowa State University Students for Bernie
• Amner Martinez, Des Moines -- Co-founder, Latino Arts Initiative
• Topiz Martinez, Storm Lake -- Owner, Better Day Cafe
• Javier Miranda, Ames -- Chapter President, Ames Democratic Socialists of America
• Dominic Rodriguez, Storm Lake -- Youth activist for workers rights
• Laura Rodriguez, Des Moines -- Creative Arts Chair, Latino Arts Initiative
• RosaIsela Salazar, Muscatine -- Immigration activist

Left endorsements

December 2019 Bernie Sanders has won the endorsement of People's Action, a coalition of 40 progressive groups that said it represents more than 1 million members in key early-voting states and others across the country.

The nod is a triumph for the Vermont senator in the competition with Elizabeth Warren to become the leading left-wing candidate in the presidential primary.

“We were really struck by the fact that for the last few decades, this guy has been able to see through the haze of a neoliberal worldview that has affected so many parts of American life,” said George Goehl, national director of People's Action. “We also think he’s uniquely positioned to win. He’s already stitched together a multiracial, urban, rural, multigenerational campaign.”

Sanders received nearly 74 percent of the ballots cast by delegates from the group’s affiliates, according to People's Action. Goehl said there was a period in the primary when it seemed the vote “might be closer.” Sanders' rollout of his housing plan, which calls for building almost 10 million affordable housing units as well as national rent control, was a turning point, Goehl said.

The nod from People's Action is the latest in a string of progressive endorsements nabbed by Sanders in recent months. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) backed him in October, giving a jolt of excitement to his campaign after he had been eclipsed in the national polls by Warren and suffered a heart attack.

Sanders has since leapfrogged Warren and is now in second place behind Joe Biden,. He also recently bested her in scoring an endorsement from the Center for Popular Democracy, a left-wing group that counts 600,000 members.

Analilia Mejia, Sanders’ national political director, said the backing of the two coalitions sends a message by progressives.

"Combined, it’s over 1.5 million members,” she said. “It gives you a sense of the popularity of our candidate, especially with those who are doing the work.”

The Sanders team worked for months to court People's Action: Sanders met and spoke with the group’s affiliates, and his team convened conference calls with them while putting out policy proposals. Omar and Tlaib also contacted the organization’s leaders in their home states to vouch for the presidential candidate, according to a Sanders aide.

Omar said an event hosted by one of the group’s affiliates helped persuade her to endorse Sanders: “It was at the Iowa People's Action presidential forum in September where I saw the power of their grassroots movement. And it was clear then that Bernie was the candidate to take on Trump and take back the White House."

People’s Action has a presence in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and Super Tuesday states, including in rural areas. In addition to Sanders and Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro and Kamala Harris also responded to the group’s questionnaire.

“People's Action is one of the great grassroots organizations in this country,” said Sanders in a video that will be released after the endorsement is announced. “I am just so proud and excited to have the endorsement of People's Action because they understand what I understand: That at the end of the day, the only way we make real change in this country is through grassroots activism.”

ISNA convention

Addressing the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America in August 2019 in Houston, Julian Castro and Bernie Sanders pledged to overturn Trump's travel ban, which targets several Muslim-majority countries, and vowed to create a vastly more welcoming environment for Muslims in the United States.

"It begins at home by saying that you are full partners in American progress," Castro told thousands of attendees inside the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Sanders, the independent U.S. senator, got a particularly enthusiastic response inside the convention hall as he gave a speech that hit on his usual campaign themes while zeroing in on issues specifically affecting the Muslim world, including in foreign policy. He was introduced by his campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, who is Muslim.

"We must speak out when we have a president and an administration who believe — and I quote — that 'Islam hates us,'" Sanders said, referring to a comment Trump made while campaigning for president in 2016. "We must speak out at hate crimes and violence targeted at the Muslim community and call it what it is: domestic terrorism."

At the same time, Sanders pointed to causes for optimism: the non-Muslims who joined in airport protests against the travel ban and the Muslim who have been elected to Congress under Trump. "What that tells me is that the American people understand our country is at our best when we stand together regardless of our religious or spiritual beliefs," Sanders said.

On foreign policy, Sanders touted his 2002 opposition to the the Iraq War, which, he noted, created instability in the region and gave rise to the Islamic State terrorist group whose victims are overwhelmingly Muslim. Sanders also broached a topic that has not gotten wide discussion in the 2020 field, criticizing India for recently revoking the autonomy of Kashmir, a disputed region with Pakistan.

"India's action is unacceptable," Sanders said. "The communications blockade must be lifted immediately, and the United States government must speak out boldly in support of international humanitarian law and in support of a U.N.-backed peaceful resolution that respects the will of the Kashmiri people."

Both Castro and Sanders made other stops in Houston prior to the ISNA convention.

Sanders headlined a low-dollar campaign fundraiser at an Indian-Pakistani restaurant where he was introduced by Abdul El-Sayed, a former Michigan gubernatorial candidate. Sanders spoke about creating a movement bigger than any one election but also expressed confidence about his chances in Texas, saying he was asking for support "to help me win the Democratic primary here — and I think we can do it."

Bernie co-chair

Cullen Tiernan February 21 2019:

Holy duck 🦆 it’s going to be Nina Turner, Puerto Rico’s Carmen Yulin Cruz and Rep. Ro Khanna on the Bernie dream team. — with Ro Khanna.

People's Action

San Francisco Rising Alliance April 30 2019·

Proud to share the stage at the #PeoplesWave with Senator Bernie Sanders, pushing for #MedicareforAll and #FreeCollegeforAll!! People's Action — with Emily Ja-ming Lee, Celi Tamayo-Lee and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.

Building DSA with Bernie

DECEMBER 11, 2019 by Alec Ramsay-Smith

Bernie Sanders is the first viable national candidate in living memory who identifies as a democratic socialist, and his campaign has already mobilized masses of working people. By endorsing Sanders, DSA committed to playing a key role on the national stage. Rather than limit ourselves to funneling volunteers to Sanders field offices, we launched an Independent Expenditure (IE) campaign to go toe-to-toe with the right wing and corporate Democrats. The IE gives DSA the ability to set its own strategy and dedicate its full resources to the cause as long as it does not coordinate with the campaign.

DSA may lack the resources to buy equal airtime with millionaires and billionaires, but we have a nationwide network of more than 55,000 committed socialists. Chapters have already started tabling and canvassing door-to-door in working-class neighborhoods to contact potential voters (see story on p. 4), and many have sponsored debate-watch parties and other events to grow their core of activists. The goal of each conversation is to engage people on their issues, ask them to pledge to support Bernie in the primary, and bring them into DSA. The campaign has kicked off monthly Weeks of Action to generate excitement and lift up the campaign’s socialist demands. We must also seize this moment to organize and expand our movement. To grow DSA’s power as a membership-driven organization, chapters will need to identify and recruit leaders into the work, develop their members’ strategic campaign skills, and sign up Bernie’s multiracial and working-class base as DSA members. Current at-large members can host Bernie house parties and use them to assemble organizing committees and form new chapters. If we do it right, DSA will end this campaign larger and stronger than ever before.

DSA is going to win this campaign, not because we have the best ideas, but because we out-organize everyone else. And with a class-struggle candidate in Bernie Sanders, we are ready to build toward becoming the mass movement we need.

References

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