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After months of hosting virtual town hall events, Bernie Sanders will resume in-person events in battleground states, including Michigan, to garner support for former Vice President Joe Biden in his bid for the presidency.
Sanders, who ended his campaign in April, has since endorsed the 77-year-old Democratic Party candidate and teamed up to form a joint policy "Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force," which aims to bridge the divide between moderate and progressive Democratic policies.
According to the Associated Press, Sanders' spokesman Mike Casca says the Vermont senator will host socially distanced outdoor rallies, including a drive-in rally in one of Michigan's — and the country's — most shockingly influential suburbs, Macomb County, which is considered to be a bellwether for national politics.
In 2016, 54% of Macomb County voted for Trump, with 42% in support of Hillary Clinton. Statewide, however, Trump won by just 13,107 votes. Previously, the mostly white county favored democratic candidate Barack Obama in 2008 and in 2012. In 1984, the county switched from voting for John F. Kennedy in the previous election to supporting Ronald Reagan in 1984.
Senator Sanders's upcoming Biden-backing events follow President Donald Trump's attacks on Biden during this week's presidential debate. Trump berated Biden on the debate stage by suggesting the former vice president had lost the support of the “radical left” after he said he did not support the Green New Deal and again when Biden declared he had beat Sanders in the primary by “a whole hell of a lot.”
“I think you just lost the Left,” Trump said. “You just lost the Left. You agreed with Bernie Sanders on a plan.”
Following the debate, Sanders took to Twitter to double down on his support for Biden and instill urgency in voting out what he called “the most dangerous president in our history.”
“Last night Trump was asked to condemn white supremacy — and refused. He has called neo-Nazis 'very fine people.' He has inspired disgusting acts of racism and violence. This is the most dangerous president in the modern history of our country. He must be defeated.”
Sanders last rallied in Michigan in early March, drawing thousands of supporters. Stops included Detroit's TCF Center, which was later converted to a field hospital a month later to treat coronavirus patients.
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