02.12.2020

Co-Chair of the Sanders Campaign Discusses New Hampshire Win

Progressive Bernie Sanders pulled off a victory in New Hampshire, but the more moderate Pete Buttigieg is still nipping at his heels. What does this ideological split mean for the Democratic party’s direction–and its ability to defeat President Trump in November? California Congressman Ro Khanna is co-chair of the Sanders 2020 campaign, and joins the program to discuss the candidate’s chances.

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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: So, as I said, some are wringing their hands. I guess, maybe this isn’t the right place to start an interview with the co-chair of the Sanders campaign, but there are very important people in the party who are, indeed, wringing their hands. What do you say to them on this day after the New Hampshire primary?

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): They have no reason to worry. They should be happy that Bernie Sanders is winning with rural voters, winning and inspiring minority voters, winning independent voters. He’s running on fulfilling FDR’s legacy of the new deal, completing the new deal in the 21st century, that means everyone should have health care, everyone should have basic education, every family should have child care, every family should have the chance to get a basic job that allows them to have a living wage. These are very common-sense ideas that our party has been fighting for for 75 years.

AMANPOUR: I’m going to get to some of the issues in a second. But let me ask you as co-chair, were you — I mean, he won, but it was a squeaker. He got 26 percent of the votes in New Hampshire after getting 25 percent in Iowa. 26 is the lowest total for anyone who has ever won in New Hampshire. And he’s trailing, you know, Pete Buttigieg now by two delegates. How do you analyze this picture?

KHANNA: Well, first of all, there were 25 candidates and many formidable candidates. So, the fact that he won in that strong a field is extraordinary and he won across the board. He won with white Americans without college degrees, he won in the Latino community, he won with young voters, he won with voters under 45, he won with rural voters, independent voters and he’s going to be very, very strong heading into Nevada and South Carolina as the electorate becomes more diverse and he’s leading in the big states. So, I am very confident that he will be leading in delegates after March 3rd on Super Tuesday on route to being the nominee.

About This Episode EXPAND

Brian Deese, global head of sustainable investing at BlackRock, tells Christiane how his company is embracing sustainability. Ro Khanna, co-chair of the Bernie Sanders campaign, discusses what the New Hampshire victory means for the Democratic party’s direction. Professor Gilbert Gee joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss the hidden cost of global epidemics. Plus, a special report on the Coronavirus.

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