North Texas congressional Democrats fear ‘socialism’ attacks as Sanders surges
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed comments to Reps. Marc Veasey and Colin Allred regarding the potential nomination of Bernie Sanders.
Joe Biden’s supporters from North Texas’ Democratic congressional delegation are expressing concern over the prospect of a Bernie Sanders nomination for president, as the self-described Democratic socialist has jumped ahead of the the former vice president in polling averages in the Lone Star State.
The Democrats said they want to see a nominee who can garner racially diverse support and defeat President Donald Trump in November.
Texas is among the biggest prizes on March 3, Super Tuesday, when 14 states award more than a third of the total Democratic delegates.
Texas will award 228 pledged delegates, second most behind California. The Democratic National Committee announced Tuesday that it considers Texas a “top battleground state” for the general election, meaning the party will invest in the state and expects it to be competitive in November. Other states included New Hampshire, Nevada and Georgia.
“I have some concerns. I served with Bernie in the House, and I still serve in the House while he’s in the Senate — I don’t know any legislation that Bernie has passed,” said Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Dallas.
“I understand why he’s attracting the young people because he’s talking about free college tuition … he’s talking about free health care … and that all sounds very good and very attractive to young people that have not yet thought about how we’re going to pay for it.”
Rep. Marc Veasey of Fort Worth said his constituents are concerned about what another term for Trump will mean for their families.
“I don’t want to get into the whole ‘what’s socialism?’ and have NPR debates about what’s socialism or what’s not socialism,” Veasey said.
“People that are over a certain age, they associate the term ‘socialist’ with communism. And I’m certainly not saying Senator Sanders is that, but I’m telling you when they hear that term and see it embraced by him, they associate it with the Cold War and are scared by it.”
Sanders’ campaign did not respond to two requests for comment, but the Vermont independent held several rallies in Texas over the weekend and has vowed to win Texas in both the primary and general elections.
State of the race
Although Sanders is in first in Texas, his share of support is well below a majority. There appears to be more total support for a more moderate option than Sanders, such as billionaire and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg or Biden, as well as some support spread among Pete Buttigieg of Indiana, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, said two professors and a Democratic strategist in Texas.
None of the experts was optimistic about the candidacies of Buttigieg, Warren or Klubuchar.
“I think they’re on life support. ... If South Carolina is not their Waterloo, then Super Tuesday certainly will be unless there’s some fundamental change between now and a week from now,” said Jim Henson, a lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin and director of the Texas Politics Project, a group that compiles research from universities around the state.
Rep. Colin Allred, a Biden endorser from Dallas, said some candidates who are not attracting racially diverse support should bow out of the race. He did not name names, but Buttigieg and Klobuchar’s struggles with voters of color have been a theme throughout the campaign.
“I think that anyone who’s in the race but doesn’t have a pathway to the nomination should consider getting out of the race as soon as possible,” Allred said.
Nationally, Sanders leads, followed by Biden and Bloomberg, with Warren closely behind, then Buttigieg then Klobuchar.
What the experts say
Comparatively moderate candidates such as Bloomberg and Biden have argued that the best way to win in November is for Democrats to convince independents and disaffected Republicans to support them. Sanders has said he will bring hordes of newly excited voters, especially young people, to the polls in November to reshape the electoral landscape.
But Daron Shaw, a politics professor at UT Austin, doubts voters — even those who don’t like Trump — will look at the strong economy and say, “Let’s move toward socialism.”
“That may play in some places, but I’m very skeptical in Texas,” he said.
Shaw said Democrats running for the statehouse are on the offense, using a message against “Republican excess.”
“I think that’s created an opening for Texas for messaging on the Democratic side. But if you run Bernie Sanders, that’s not the contrast you really want, I don’t think,” he said.
Biden comeback?
Allred and Veasey said they are confident in Biden’s ability to reclaim the top spot.
“I think that it’s still very early in the race, and we’ve had a very small percentage of the delegates that have been awarded,” he said. “I think it’s clear that he’s going to do well in South Carolina. He was second in Nevada. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that those are much more diverse states.”
Veasey agreed, saying he’s still confident in Biden’s chances.
“I think that Biden’s going to win Texas, I think it’s going to be a very spirited competition between Biden and a few of the other candidates, and I think they’re going to spend some time here,” Veasey said.
Johnson, the other Biden endorser, was less optimistic.
“I have been with candidates before that didn’t make it until the end, but it was still in my opinion the best choice,” she said. “That’s how I feel about Mr. Biden. If that happens, I will have to make another choice about the nomination.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 5:30 AM.