Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday expressed concerns about Democratic turnout in the midterm elections, Politico reports.
“I am worried about the level of voter turnout among young people and working people who will be voting Democratic,” Sanders told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
“I think, again, what Democrats have to do is contrast their economic plan with the Republicans’. … They want to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid at a time when millions of seniors are struggling to pay their bills,” he said. “So I think what we have to do is contrast what a strong, pro-worker Democratic position is with the corporate agenda of the Republicans.”
Sanders said it was important for Democratic to talk about inflation.
“Republicans will say, well, this is Joe Biden’s fault,” he said. “Really? Our inflation rate is much too high. … Inflation is a global problem caused by the breaking of supply chains, because of the war in Ukraine, and a significant part by corporate greed… We need an aggressive government that says we’re on your side, not on the side of the billionaires.”
Crime too:
Sanders also urged Democrats not to shy away from talking about crime, which he called a “huge problem.” He said Democrats should focus on issues like drug addiction in “a smart way, not in a way that foments fear.”
“Crime is a real issue. Violence is a real issue,” he said. “I go all over the state of Vermont. There is a drug problem and the addiction to drugs and the violence drugs causes, it’s a huge problem all over this country.”
“How do you deal with the growing addiction, the opioid crisis? That means making investment in our young people in good education, in good job training, and making sure we have good law enforcement doing the right job all over this country,” he added.
Midterm turnout soars:
More than 7.5 million people have already voted in the midterm elections, smashing early voting records in some states, according to CBS News.
Georgia over the weekend saw a 159% increase in early voting and there have been similar reports in Florida and North Carolina.
Over 122 million people voted in the 2018 midterm elections, one of the highest turnout rates since 1978.
It’s too early to tell how high voter turnout will be but all signs suggest this year will surpass the voter turnout seen in 2018.
