Bernie Sanders Has a Secret Weapon for New York's Primary

By teleSUR

18 April 16

The Working Families Party has been knocking on doors for months campaigning in favor of the senator from Vermont.

emocratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders drew record crowds to his campaign event in New York on Sunday as he gears up for Tuesday's primary in this state, in which, according to Mother Jones, he has a secret weapon he will wield to clinch the victory away from Hillary Clinton.

The Working Families Party has expressed its absolute support for the senator from Vermont and this progressive party is backed by labor unions and community activists who have sufficient clout to assure Sanders a winner of this crucial primary.

“The party is known across the state, and particularly in New York City, for its impressive get-out-the-vote efforts,” said Mother Jones, suggesting their support for Sanders will define his victory.

On Monday, Sanders called on voters to exercise caution when analyzing polls that show him trailing behind Clinton in New York, saying, “We've been here before.”

Sanders told NBC that, "Those are the public polls. The bottom line is, let's look at the real poll tomorrow (Tuesday). Generally speaking, polling has underestimated how we do in elections."

Sanders noted that his campaign was down by as many as 25 points in Michigan before it pulled off the upset victory on March 8.

According to the RealClearPolitics average of polls of likely voters in New York's April 19 Democratic primary, Clinton leads Sanders by just over 12 percentage points.

"The main point is, I think, we have a message that's resonating all over this country," Sanders added. "We have enthusiasm. We have energy. People understand it's too late for establishment politics and economics. They want real change in the country. They want leadership to stand up to the billionaire class. That’s what we are providing."

The WFP's New York chapter was founded in 1998 and today has a major presence and influence among voters.

"They have the best political operation in New York," says Bill O'Reilly, a Republican consultant in the state. "They are a mighty machine."

The WFP has successfully backed other candidates, such as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

And for months, the party has been going door to door campaigning in favor of Sanders and helping him draw thousands of supporters.

Bill Lipton, WFP's New York state director, told Mother Jones, that they had 600 to 700 supporters knocking on doors to advocate for Sanders.

"The campaign has a strategy around that which we're plugged into," Lipton said, and explained that, "Most state parties around the country have become just shell vehicles for executives to raise money for their own re-election or for their allies ... we have an actual state party that has organizers, and people who know how to run campaigns, and people who know how to knock on doors, and mobilize volunteers."