Bernie Sanders didn’t run for president in 2024. But he was a specter haunting the Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris, and probably contributed to her drubbing by Donald Trump.
Democrats are in shock and disarray as they try to figure out how their candidate lost to a convicted felon with a long history of demeaning women, minorities, Muslims, and other important voting blocs. It shouldn’t be that surprising. For the last decade, Democrats have been trying to span a chunk of the electorate that ranges from the super liberal to center-right. The rubber band isn’t that flexible.