During an interview with The Young Turks correspondent Jordan Chariton, progressive congressional candidate Tim Canova expressed sadness that he has not yet received a visit from progressive Senator Bernie Sanders as the senator had indicated he might do just a month ago.
Chariton pointed out that though there is still time, it seems unlikely that Sanders will take a trip to South Florida to campaign for Canova, despite indicating in the past that he might do so.
Said Canova:
“Y’know, frankly it is a bit disappointing. I never sought Bernie Sanders’ endorsement, it came out of the blue and I certainly welcomed it. It gave a boost to our campaign.
At the time of the convention in Philadelphia, he certainly raised expectations. He had several interviews in which he talked about campaigning for 100 downballot races, and in at least a couple of those interviews, mine was the only name that was mentioned. And it was wonderful to see at the time, but we weren’t the only ones to see those interviews. I think he raised a lot of expectations which, I think, encouraged a lot of the SuperPAC money to quickly start flowing here to help Wasserman Schultz.”
Canova makes a very compelling argument here that if Sanders had not made his support for Canova so concrete during the convention and indicated to all that he might actively campaign for the candidate, the Democratic establishment would not have been as motivated to publicly and financially support Wasserman Schultz. In this way, Sanders was under an obligation of sorts to follow through on his indicated promise, but he failed to do so.
Canova’s main issue at this point is convincing the members in the 23rd district that Wasserman Schulz is the better choice for them. Though she is infamous in progressive circles for her corrupt handing of the Democratic party, her constituents generally feel she does an adequate job representing them. While Canova has made a strong argument for his progressive platform, his lack of intimate knowledge of the district hurt him during a recent debate between the candidates.
In the tight race between Canova and corrupt Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Canova can use any help he can get, especially from the most popular progressive in the nation. Though the endorsement of Sanders has earned Canova bountiful campaign donations from all over the country, a visit in-person from Sanders could be the ticket to push the challenger over the threshold and into elected office.
Canova said that early on, Sanders gave him his number and told him to call anytime. Canova says he has made that call but has yet to hear back from the senator.
Watch.
