"I have never been as excited about a candidate as I am about Bernie Sanders. His liberal values match my own values more closely than any other candidate. I respect Bernie Sander's independence from corporate influence. His focus on social justice and addressing the economic inequality in this country make him the candidate for me."
-- MoveOn member Megan W., Poulsbo, WA
Bernie's campaign is inspiring millions of people to enter the political process for the first time, including young people and other members of the "rising American electorate" who the eventual Democratic nominee will need to mobilize in order to win in November. He's raised money from more contributors than any candidate in history at this stage in the primary process, and massive crowds have turned out to see him across the country. Part of why MoveOn members are supporting Bernie is that his agenda excites and inspires them, and they see it doing the same for others.
Experts agree that the general election will hinge on voter turnout. If the Obama coalition can be inspired to vote, Democrats will retain the White House. But if the electorate looks like it did in 2014, when Republicans gained ground across the country and seized control of the Senate, Democrats will be in trouble.
Not only do some new polls this week show Bernie leading the Democratic field in Iowa and New Hampshire, they also show him to be the Democratic candidate who performs best against various hypothetical Republican nominees.
MoveOn members support Bernie because they know his message has broad support and that he is well positioned to win the White House in a general election.
5. Putting members in the driver's seat is what MoveOn does, and a whopping 79 percent voted to endorse Bernie."I voted for MoveOn.org to endorse Bernie Sanders for president because he represents the progressive movement like this organization. His views align perfectly with my own"--"wealth inequality, a living wage, job creation, Wall Street reform, racial justice, women's and LBGT rights, college without debt, climate change, and peaceful solutions to prevent war, such as his support for the Iran deal."
-- MoveOn member Terri D., Brookfield, WI
Finally, MoveOn is endorsing Bernie for president because MoveOn is our members. MoveOn only endorses candidates for office after formal membership votes, and in this case, the outcome of our internal democratic process was overwhelming: the vast majority of voting MoveOn members want the organization to support Bernie, so that's what we're going to do. We've pledged to run a 100% positive campaign. And then regardless of who wins the nomination, MoveOn will support the eventual Democratic nominee in the general election to keep a Republican out of the White House, because the vast majority of members have made clear that it's what they want MoveOn to do.
More than 340,000 MoveOn members participated in our endorsement process. Sanders won with 267,750 votes, or 78.6 percent. "Fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton garnered 49,811 votes (14.6 percent). Martin O'Malley earned 2,949 votes (0.9 percent). There were also 20,155 MoveOn members, or 5.9 percent, who voted against MoveOn making an endorsement now.
Bernie's vote total and percentage are MoveOn records"--"the best any presidential candidate has performed in our 17-year history.
In short, MoveOn members #FeelTheBern and are going to mobilize in a big way to turn out the voters Bernie needs to win in Iowa, New Hampshire, and other early primary states. Let's demonstrate the impact of progressive people power. Click here to join our MoveOn for Bernie campaign.
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