Infighting on the Democratic side of the 2016 presidential race is mild compared to the GOP side, a top party official said Sunday, even as Sen. Bernard Sanders’ attacks on front-runner Hillary Clinton dent her favorability ratings.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, said Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Sanders, the upstart socialist from Vermont, are sticking to substance, by and large, but she wants both sides to keep an eye on the November election.
“It’s going to get a little more intense, but need to make sure we can focus on the endgame,” Mrs. Schultz told “Fox News Sunday.”
She said the candidates have to make sure their primary attacks don’t make it more difficult for the party to unify against the Republican nominee.
But it’s unclear if Mr. Sanders, who is lagging far behind in delegates, will heed that advice.
Ahead of make-or-break East Coast primaries, Mr. Sanders repeatedly has attacked Mrs. Clinton for failing to stand up to big banks and drug companies, and for declining to release transcripts of her speeches to Wall Street.
Recent polling suggests the attacks are hurting Mrs. Clinton’s favorability ratings, though Mrs. Schultz insisted that is not a problem, since GOP front-runner Donald Trump’s ratings are even worse.
“It pales in comparison to what’s played out on the other side of the aisle,” she said.
She said while Mr. Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz careen toward a floor fight at the GOP convention in Cleveland, her party will coalesce around their nominee.
“Both of our candidates are focused on achieving the same goal,” she said.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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