Sen. Bernard Sanders keeps racking up wins in the Democratic presidential primary, but his rival doesn’t believe he’s a true member of the party.
In an interview with Politico published Wednesday morning — just hours after Mr. Sanders won Tuesday’s Wisconsin primary — Hillary Clinton explicitly questioned whether the Vermont senator is committed to the Democratic party.
“I can’t answer that,” the former first lady said. “He’s a relatively new Democrat, and, in fact, I’m not even sure he is one. He’s running as one. So, I don’t know quite how to characterize him.”
The interview comes amid reports the Clinton campaign has lost patience with Mr. Sanders and intends to ramp up its attacks. Reminding Democrats that the Vermont senator only recently joined their ranks seems to be a key part of that strategy.
On the trail, Mrs. Clinton has been emphasizing her lifelong commitment to the Democratic party, appealing to party superdelegates to keep them on her side. She’s contrasted her political past with the fact that Mr. Sanders has been an independent for his 25 years in Washington.
Mrs. Clinton also said the Sanders campaign is, in essence, lying about her record and spending far too much of its time blasting fellow Democrats.
“There is a persistent, organized effort to misrepresent my record, and I don’t appreciate that. And I feel sorry for a lot of the young people who are fed this list of misrepresentations,” she said. “I know that Sen. Sanders spends a lot of time attacking my husband, attacking President Obama. I rarely hear him say anything negative about George W. Bush, who I think wrecked our economy.”
Mrs. Clinton maintains a strong lead in the delegate count, though Mr. Sanders further seized the momentum in the race with a strong win in Wisconsin Tuesday. The contest now moves to New York, where polls show Mrs. Clinton with a double-digit lead.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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