Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Matt Dunne endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for president in a blog post late last week, a decision he made following Sanders’ debate performance in Las Vegas this month.
“I will support any of the candidates who are running in the Democratic primary over any of the candidates in the Republican field,” Dunne wrote on his campaign blog. “But Bernie’s blunt honesty, ability to engage young people, and his clear understanding of the needs of our state make me excited to have the opportunity to cast my vote for him in the March primary.”
Dunne, a Google executive, said he was not sure who he would endorse earlier this year, and that all the primary candidates had their strengths and weaknesses.
Dunne said Sanders has been addressing the most critical issues facing Vermont and the country, including income inequality, climate change, health care reform, educational restructuring and support for veterans and seniors.
“In the debate, the country saw that Bernie is willing to say what he believes, even if it wasn’t in his political best interest,” Dunne said. “Using his time to recognize Senator Webb’s service to our country was quite moving, and his comment that people are sick and tired of hearing about Hilary’s “damn emails” was the line of the night.”
Sanders has struggled to rack up endorsements, including from Vermont politicians. None of the other Vermont gubernatorial candidates have endorsed Sanders, or any presidential candidate. Sen. Patrick Leahy and Gov. Peter Shumlin have endorsed Hillary Clinton. Rep. Peter Welch has not endorsed a candidate.
Sanders has been endorsed by U.S. Reps. Paul Grijalva of Arizona and Keith Ellison of Minnesota, two members of the House Progressive Caucus. The Vermont senator has also been endorsed by a number of celebrities, including actor Mark Ruffalo, rapper Killer Mike and singer/actor Bette Midler.
Dunne was the most active politician on Twitter during the first Democratic debate, shooting off a number of Tweets in support of Sanders:
“Congress doesn’t regulate Wall Street, Wall Street regulates Congress.” Boom. #BernieWatch #DemDebate
— Matt Dunne for VT (@mattdunnevt) October 14, 2015
Income inequality question: The Bernie softball. And he hit it hard. #BernieWatch #DemDebate
— Matt Dunne for VT (@mattdunnevt) October 14, 2015
Bernie: “Wall Street executives get to walk away, but kids go to prison for smoking marijuana.” #BernieWatch #DemDebate
— Matt Dunne for VT (@mattdunnevt) October 14, 2015
“Bernie has always stood up for us,” Dunne said near the end of his post. “And I’m proud to stand up for him.
