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There are clear similarities between Senator Bernie Sanders’ Presidential Primary and my Congressional Primary in the 16th Congressional District —we are both going up against the inevitable establishment candidates.
But there are several substantive reasons to endorse Mr. Sanders:
1) Authenticity---You must be able to match the message with the messenger; and Senator Sanders began his race talking about the issues that matter to voters in this 16th Congressional District. Also we can all agree that his entry into the Democratic Primary is the reason we are talking about the need to invest in jobs and education rather than a nation that has doubled-down on jails and incarceration—an issue that his opponent Hillary Clinton supported, and my opponent Elliot Engel voted for i.e., (three strikes you’re out and mandatory minimum 1994 Crime Bill).
2) Foreign affairs--- Secretary Clinton voted for the Iraq war–So did my opponent Elliot Engel–Whether it’s Afghanistan, Iraq or Libya – We must learn the important lessons of the cost of war.
3) Progressive—Senator Sanders has a progressive agenda that spans multiple well-grounded issues --- that resonate across the middle class—Jobs and economic empowerment; free public education, relief of student debt; and access to health care as a right.
4) Representative Democracy—In this Democratic Primary, Senator Sanders is running against an entrenched special interest establishment candidate, and so am I. When Wall Street and/ or special interest continue to define and shape policy positions for us as a people, we have lost our representative democracy… That is why we are witnessing a revolution of young people that is upending the establishment, and that is stating unequivocally that Bernie Sanders is the right candidate to carry the banner of the Democratic Party.
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