Bernie Sanders faces questions about political future
NEW YORK — Allies of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are rallying behind the embattled presidential prospect even as they reluctantly begin to ponder the painful possibility of a 2020 campaign without him.
The 77-year-old self-described democratic socialist is the most prominent contender to face a serious setback in the evolving White House field. He’s been forced to confront reports detailing allegations of sexual harassment of women by male staffers when he sought the Democratic nomination for president in 2016.
Sanders’ loyalists expect him to launch a second campaign in the coming weeks, and his network of die-hard supporters is hosting hundreds of events across the nation this weekend encouraging him to run.
But the allegations put Sanders in an unenviable position in the early days of a contest playing out in the #MeToo era. While his competitors are visiting early-voting states and scoping out potential campaign headquarters, Sanders spent Thursday apologizing for the behaviour of a handful of 2016 campaign workers and looking for a new staffers for his 2020 operation should he run.