Sanders, Clinton supporters look the same, Washington state Democrats chair says

Last week, the major question was whether the Republican Party was united behind Donald Trump. This week, it’s whether Bernie Sanders supporters are willing to rally behind Hillary Clinton.

Jaxon Ravens, the chairperson of the Washington state Democrats, says he’s seen an allied front — at least from Washington delegates.

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Ravens said the approximately 220 people who attended the Washington state Democratic Party breakfast Monday held a united front, listening to Gov. Jay Inslee and Congressperson Suzan Delbene.

“Standing from the podium, you could not tell who was a Sanders person or who was a Clinton person,” Ravens said. “They were all sitting together, they were all sitting at various tables, we were sharing information. We all warmly welcomed the comments by Congresswoman Delbene and the Gov. Inslee.

“I think there was unity, there was focus and I think there was this idea and readiness to move forward to win in November,” he added. “We’re here not as Sanders delegates, or as Clinton delegates: We’re here as the Washington state delegation. We’re here to stand up for the values, for the vision we have not only for Washington but this country as a whole.”

Things were a little different when Sanders spoke to a crowd of delegates Monday afternoon. Sanders drew cheers when he said, “We have got to defeat Donald Trump.” But as soon as he told the crowd “we have got to” elect Clinton, those cheers turned to boos.

Rantz noted that Washington state is often overlooked by both sides of the aisle because it’s voters consistently vote Democrat. But Ravens noted that the state has been a “bastion of progressive values,” moving forward on minimum wage, marriage equality, and responsible gun registration. He says the state’s primary goals are to be champions of the increased minimum wage and to stand up against assault weapons and changing the country’s approach to weapons.

“When you look at Washington, you look at an area that’s really making good positive progressive progress in this country,” he said. “And Hillary Clinton is starting to listen to that message, getting that message involved. She stands for the values that we stand for. Senator Sanders as well has been there from the beginning and has really stood up for those values. So I think that they understand that we are at the heart of the Party and we’re going to be there for them in November.”

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