Throughout his 2016 campaign, presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders has emphatically stressed how he has never once run a negative political ad, yet hinted Tuesday that he might soon end that streak.
Sanders, when interviewed by David Axelrod for his “Axe Files” podcast, stated that he still hopes to “never run a negative ad,” but left the door open to possibly changing things this cycle.
“I never have after all these years. But I — we’ll see,” he told President Obama’s former campaign advisor.
Sanders’ flip can likely be attributed to comments recently made by Hillary Clinton. Clinton told MSNBC’s Jake Tapper that “Democratic members of Congress have lined up behind her,” implying that Congressional Democrats will not rally around the senator from Vermont.
Sanders and fellow Democratic candidate Martin O’Malley have claimed that the Democratic National Committee has prematurely circled its wagons around Clinton as the eventual nominee. Both have stated that the DNC’s refusal to schedule additional debates is meant to protect the former secretary of state from criticism within the party, and as Clinton’s poll numbers continue to drop, a negative campaign could be the perfect opportunity for Bernie to gain even more ground. (RELATED: Poll Shows Biden Could Be ‘A Real Nightmare’ For Hillary Clinton)
[h/t: MSNBC]