Politics

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders listens to concerns about contaminated water during a community forum at Woodside Church in Flint, Mich.

On Sunday, after Bernie Sanders’ commanding wins in the Alaska, Hawaii and Washington state Democratic presidential caucuses, Leslie Lee III, an American freelance writer living in Japan, tweeted, “I knew it. I knew if Bernie won Hawaii it would magically become a white state.”

Bernie Sanders did not just win all three states that voted this weekend — Washington, Alaska and Hawaii — he won them by overwhelming, impressive margins. The presidential hopeful won every county in Washington, and some of his biggest victory margins came from the state’s most rural and traditionally conservative areas.

The win will likely mean a fundraising boost for the small-donor driven campaign. Sanders does not have a super PAC and instead has enjoyed injections of cash from his fans after big wins or important nights in the election calendar. According to the campaign, supporters from Washington State already give to his cause at disproportionately high rates, so these wins will likely produce another windfall.

The wins also validate Sanders’ commitment to an extended primary. Despite the fact that he is trailing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by a significant number of delegates needed for the nomination, Sanders has pledged to stay in the race until all 50 states get their say.

Since all delegates on the Democratic side are awarded proportionally, Sanders will receive a sizeable number of delegates from Saturday’s blowouts and dent Clinton’s delegate lead. Likewise, by winning so handily, he makes it harder for the super delegates from those states to stay committed to Clinton. The elected officials and party elites who hold these posts can swap their vote at any point until voting takes place at the party convention and will face grassroots pressure -– and pressure from the campaign –- to back the will of their hometown voters.

Sanders told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl Sunday morning that he remains the “underdog” but that the campaign believes they “do have a path to victory.”

“What we showed yesterday is in fact the momentum is with us,” Sanders said. “We think we’re going to do well in Wisconsin. We think we got a real shot in New York. And then we go out to California. You go out to Oregon. That’s the most progressive part of America.”

Still Clinton is already leading by a greater margin than President Obama ever had during the campaign for the Democratic nomination in 2008.

Sanders’ landslide victories not only mean that the Clinton campaign will have to continue to run primary races in Western states, but also that they still have a significant amount of work to do to bring progressives on board for a general election, should she win the nomination.

Washington in particular has been a bellwether of change for the Democratic Party and progressive policies: The state has legalized marijuana for recreational use and in Seattle the process has begun to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour over time. By overwhelmingly backing Sanders, who says he would pave the way for these models to extend nationwide, Washington voters were offering a second thumbs up to these trends.

However, his support among left-leaning voters from these Western states only paint part of the picture, as Sanders also enjoyed large crowds and enthusiastic backing in redder parts of Washington and Alaska.

Despite a strong GDP and strong average wages, the economy in Washington has changed rapidly in the last eight years, leaving a lot of people in its wake. The state’s unemployment is fairly high, in contrast to the positive indicators in the state economy, and blue collar jobs such in the mining and logging industry have taken a serious hit, falling 6 percent to 8 percent in the last four years, while technology and information industry jobs have soared almost that much in the same time. There is a feeling of income inequality in the state.

In addition, these states are known for their counter-culture. Ken Miller, a Clinton supporter and well-known party organizer from Tacoma, Washington, told ABC News, “The party is fairly irrelevant in people’s lives.”

Sanders fans celebrating in Seattle’s Safeco Field Friday night before voting the next morning said they were inspired by the senator’s unwavering commitment to stay in the race.

Kimberly Mayhle from the city’s Capital Hill neighborhood said she was with Sanders “until the end,” and that friends and neighbors of hers were “100 percent more excited” for this election than they had been in the past. Her friend, law student Andy McClenahan, said he was glad Sanders was continuing discussion on key issues he supported like reforming the criminal justice system and higher wages.

Here is what’s happening:

• Doors opened at 4 p.m. Speeches start later in the evening, including one by socialist Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant. Admission is free.
• Commuters should expect traffic congestion near Safeco Field in the afternoon and evening. The Washington State Department of Transportation tweeted that traffic for the Bellevue-Seattle commute would be about the same as during an afternoon Mariners game.
• Democrats across the state will caucus tomorrow, dividing up 101 delegates between Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Find your caucus location here. If you’re wondering how it all works, check out our explainer.

Additional coverage:

• Bernie Sanders’ last appearance in Seattle
• Hillary Clinton’s last appearance in Seattle
• More on Election 2016 and the presidential campaign

UPDATE, 6:26 p.m.:

UPDATE: 6:20 p.m.:

(1/2) Unsure of crowd size @BernieSanders rally but only part of lower deck at Safeco full – rest empty due to slow security. Still filling

— Jim Brunner (@Jim_Brunner) March 26, 2016

(2/2) So basically @BernieSanders Safeco crowd as of now maybe several thousand, like your typical late losing-season #Mariners game

— Jim Brunner (@Jim_Brunner) March 26, 2016

UPDATE, 6:15 p.m.:

Bernie Sanders is scheduled to speak in 45 minutes. What are the odds he could get a visit from a little birdie twice in one day?

UPDATE, 6:06 p.m.:

UPDATE, 5:51 p.m.:

UPDATE, 5:45 p.m.:

Sawant is talking about her own campaign win, and leading the crowd in a chant of “When we fight, we win! When we fight, we win!”

She told the crowd to stand against “bigotry, misogyny and homophobia of billionaire Donald Trump.”

Sawant also took a shot at Hillary Clinton: “We do not need a president who has taken millions from Wall Street banks.”

UPDATE, 5:35 p.m.:

UPDATE, 5:31 p.m.:

Apparently, Bernie appeals to head-bangers, too. #BernieinSeattle pic.twitter.com/9rhdpZq5wH

— Lewis Kamb (@lewiskamb) March 26, 2016

UPDATE, 5:24 p.m.:

UPDATE, 5:20 p.m.:

Heather Yarbrough brought her 5-month-old daughter, Kaimana, and her 9-week-old pit bull puppy, Madame, to the rally. Yarbrough said that with two young children and a new puppy, she hadn’t been keeping up with the presidential campaign. “My friends have been raving for Bernie. I had to see for myself.” She’s from Kansas but is relocating to Steilacom with her husband.

UPDATE, 5:16 p.m.:

Best Safeco Field seats yet – press set up on field by 1st base dugout. @BernieSanders mic at home plate pic.twitter.com/TJdyquh8Al

— Jim Brunner (@Jim_Brunner) March 26, 2016

UPDATE: 5:02 p.m.:

April Sims brought her two daughters to the Bernie Sanders rally, and while waiting in the long line outside Safeco Field, she gathered signatures for a statewide initiative seeking to raise the minimum-wage.
Sims, who works for the Washington State Labor Council, a coalition of labor unions, said she had signed up at least 85 people in a couple hours.
“I’m just taking advantage of being surrounded by so many like-minded people,” she said.
Sims noted both Sanders and his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, had endorsed the proposed measure.
Initiative 1433 seeks to raise the statewide minimum wage to $13.50 per hour over four years and give workers up to seven days of “safe and sick leave” credit per year.
Daughter Niah Sims, 13, said she was excited to see Sanders.
Her favorite thing about him?
“That he’s not like Trump,” she said.

April Sims is signing up folks for state minimum wage initiative while standing in line for rally w/ daughter . pic.twitter.com/FZTu0vfFCj

— Lewis Kamb (@lewiskamb) March 26, 2016

UPDATE, 5 p.m.:

UPDATE: 4:48 p.m.:

Sean Donatello, from Washington, D.C., took  time out of his vacation in Seattle to attend Bernie Sanders’ rally. He said he supports Sanders’ socialist policies including free college tuition, revamping the Affordable Care Act and his support for women and minorities. “It’s not just that he isn’t a bigot. He’s got the longest history of standing up for the little people.”

UPDATE: 4:42 p.m.:

She’s feeling the (little) Bern. pic.twitter.com/aNOMAnNUEP

— Lewis Kamb (@lewiskamb) March 25, 2016

 

UPDATE, 4:38 p.m.:

Lynn and Mike Treseler of Edmonds came to Seattle to support Bernie Sanders. Lynn said she feels passionate about the inequality in the country and Sanders’ message that it’s a rigged economy. “Corporations are controlling so much. The richest people are getting richer. There’s terrible poverty. I’m surprised there hasn’t been a revolution already.”

UPDATE, 4:29 p.m.:

Wearing a shirt that reads, “99% love Bernie Sanders,” T-shirt vendor Andrew Houston, 51, of Vancouver, said he had sold about 150 shirts in three to four hours outside Safeco Field.
Houston’s company, yugewear.com, donates three dollars from each shirt sale to the Sanders campaign, he said.

A sign taped to Houston’s arm displayed prices as follows:
“Bernie? Not for sale. This T-shirt? $20.”

T-shirt vendor at Bernie Sanders posts prices for wares: pic.twitter.com/6XUf9iQ7HY

— Lewis Kamb (@lewiskamb) March 25, 2016

UPDATE, 4:22 p.m.:

UPDATE, 4:08 p.m.:

The line from Safeco Field stretched across the street past CenturyLink Field, snaked through its north parking lot, then doglegged around a building to Occidental Avenue.

Near its end three teenagers from Mill Creek held signs reading “Gays for Bernie,” “Feel the Bern,” and “Latinxs Por Bernie.”

Miguel Carroll, 17, said by the time of the presidential election, she will have turned 18.

“So we are caucusing tomorrow,” Carroll said.

He and friends, Shione Borgal, 18, and Molica Perry, 17, said they support Bernie Sanders because he appeals to a more diverse group of people, including immigrants, gays and low income families.

“I absolutely love his consistency,” said Carroll. “You can’t see that in Hillary.”

Perry added that Sanders’ stances on the environment, reducing student debt and racial inequality issues attract her the most to his candidacy.

Young supporters of Bernie Sanders say his message more consistent representative than Hillary Clinton’s message. pic.twitter.com/un1oO2LMQb

— Lewis Kamb (@lewiskamb) March 25, 2016

UPDATE, 4:01 p.m.:

This guy brought his goat named “Deer” to the Bernie Sanders’ rally. For the record, “the goat can’t vote,” he says. pic.twitter.com/u6nRRFL4YB

— Lewis Kamb (@lewiskamb) March 25, 2016

UPDATE, 3:54 p.m.:

Line for #BernieinSeattle at Safeco Field stretches all way back past CenturyLink parking lot pic.twitter.com/CNFvrLsLID

— Jim Brunner (@Jim_Brunner) March 25, 2016

UPDATE, 1:53 p.m.:

The Sanders campaign kicked off the day bright and early with this tongue-in-cheek tweet promoting the event:

Mark my words: We’re going to face a very ugly few weeks on social media. The nastiness will begin this weekend and last through April 26, when five states will hold primaries with a big delegate haul in the balance.

Here’s why: We have five states coming up in which Bernie Sanders will probably do very, very well. It’s not inconceivable that he could sweep them all. But even a sweep won’t change the structure of the race in any way. Three of the five (Hawaii, Wyoming and Alaska) are states with relatively few delegates. The Democratic contests are all proportional, so Hillary Clinton will get a share of delegates even if she gets shut out.

Political reporters know that all five of these contests, combined, will account for fewer delegates (286) than will New York alone on April 19 (291). Clinton is up by 48 points in the latest poll of New York, and by 33 points in 538’s weighted polling average. Things may change, but it’s looking like a blowout at this point.

Then, one week after New York goes, 462 delegates will be awarded in five mid-Atlantic states. Clinton is the favorite in four of them, and one, Rhode Island (which has a tiny delegate count), is essentially a toss-up.

So we have 286 delegates that will be awarded in prime Sanders territory between this Saturday and April 9, followed by a 10-day pause, and then 753 more delegates will be awarded in a two-week period in what’s looking, at this point, like solid Clinton country.

This stretch of primaries is going to set off a war-of-words between Sanders supporters – and liberal media outlets that back the Vermont Senator — and more neutral political reporters, especially data-based journalists who keep an eye on the delegate count and the calendar. That’s because there’s going to be a natural disconnect between what appears to be a lot of momentum on Sanders’ side, and the way the mainstream media will characterize the race.

Serious reporters know that the next five contests will shave some delegates off of Clinton’s healthy lead – she’s currently up by 303 pledged delegates according to Real Clear Politics‘ count – which still leaves her well ahead as the fight for the nomination moves to friendlier ground for the Clinton campaign.

Journalists with knowledge of the calendar won’t report that Sanders is turning the race on its head. They won’t report that it’s a whole new ballgame, or that a win in Alaska predicts a victory in Maryland. They won’t report that Sanders is surging.

A lot of Sanders supporters will want them to cover these victories in sweeping terms, and write that the momentum has shifted, but they won’t. They won’t report these things because they aren’t true, or at least because there will be no reason to expect them to prove true at the time (one never knows what might happen in the future). If Sanders had swept five early contests and gained a lead in the delegate count, it might have caused primary voters in later states who leaned toward Clinton to re-evaluate their choice. But we’re more than halfway through the campaign, opinions are becoming set and when the candidates get to New York, Clinton will still be up by at least a couple of hundred pledged delegates.

A lot of Sanders supporters have been primed by progressive media outlets that support the candidate – and various Facebook memes – to see these things through the prism of a conspiracy by the “establishment” media to keep Sanders down. So while the reporting will be factual and responsible — and based on the delegate math – we can expect our social media feeds to fill up with a million pissed off posts complaining that Sanders’ big win in Wyoming (18 delegates) wasn’t front-page news, or demanding to know why the media refuse to report the obvious fact that these next five contests are game-changers that will surely propel Sanders to a glorious victory over Hitlery Killton.

And a legion of pro-Sanders writers at The Huffington Post and Salon and US UNCUT will stoke their fury by telling them what they want to hear. They will confidently write that Sanders’ win in the Washington Caucuses makes him the clear front-runner in the race for the nomination. They will accuse the mainstream media of covering up what they’ll see as an obvious reality.

So hang on, the next month of the Democratic primaries are going to be a bumpy ride. The only way this scenario doesn’t come to pass is if Clinton out-performs expectations over the next few weeks.

Bernie Sanders visited Jimmy Kimmel Live on “Western Tuesday,” the same day a terror attack killed over 30 people in Brussels, Belgium. During his interview with Kimmel, Sanders spoke about stopping ISIS as well as why Americans are more inclined to align with tough-talking candidates in the aftermath of a terror attack.

“I think people get afraid, and for good reason. ISIS is a disgusting, barbaric organization – we’ve seen what they’ve done in Paris, what they’ve done in Brussels – and people are afraid of an attack in the United States,” Sanders said. “But what we have to understand is that we’re not gonna undermine the Constitution of the United States of America in order to effectively destroy ISIS. We can do that. So our goal in this issue is to destroy ISIS in coalition with Muslim nations on the ground, with the support of the United States and other major powers. I think we can do that.”

Sanders said the key to stopping ISIS, in addition to the military, is better information sharing between nations as well as preventing radicals from engaging with these terror groups via social media. “At the end of the day, we can not allow the Trumps of the world to use these incidents to attack all of the Muslim people in the world. That is unfair,” Sanders added. “To imply that because somebody is a Muslim, they are a terrorist, that is an outrageous statement, equally so when he talks about Mexicans coming over the border are rapists and criminals. That is not what this country is about. We don’t need, in my view, a candidate running for president hurling these types of insults.”

Sanders later revealed that he has never met Donald Trump – “I didn’t go to his wedding either,” a poke at Hillary Clinton, who was in attendance at the nuptials – and that while he supports states’ rights to decide legalizing marijuana, he’s more concerned about issues that will affect his grandchildren’s future, like climate control and lead poisoned water.

Sanders also admitted that he and Clinton sometimes have private conversations, and that he’s not to blame for Clinton’s “historic” “unfavorability numbers” in some polls. “What I have tried to do in this campaign is focus on the real issues impacting the American people,” Sanders said. “We have been very careful about not attacking Secretary Clinton in any kind of personal way. Other people do that, we have not.”

Facing an increasingly narrow path to the Democratic nomination, Bernie Sanders aimed to halt, or at least slow, his candidacy’s slide on Tuesday.

Democrats in Arizona, Idaho and Utah were making their choices as Hillary Clinton attempted to tighten her grip on the race.

The day’s biggest prize was Arizona, with more delegates up for grabs than the other two states combined.

Sanders campaigned heavily there, pressing forward with his message about income inequality and urging voters to take a gamble on his more ambitious liberal agenda. He spent $1.3 million on advertising there, more than double Clinton, according to data from SMG Delta.

“What this campaign is about is asking Americans to think outside the box,” said Sanders at a rally in Flagstaff on Monday night.

Election 2016 | Live coverage on Trail Guide | Track the delegate race | Sign up for the newsletter  

Sanders, the Vermont senator and self-described democratic socialist, was hungry for wins after a series of losses to Clinton, the former secretary of State. She started building her lead at the beginning of the month with landslide victories in southern states, only to suffer a surprise loss in Michigan on March 8.

Even Sanders’ victory in Michigan illustrated the uphill nature of his battle. Clinton won by a much larger margin that same night in Mississippi’s primary, so, thanks to proportional allocation, she came away with a bigger lead in delegates.

She then regained her footing and swept Sanders in all five states that voted March 15, including Ohio and Florida.

Clinton has won 319 more pledged delegates than Sanders, according to an Associated Press tally. She’s also supported by the vast majority of superdelegates, party leaders and elected officials who can decide for themselves which candidate to support and aren’t bound by voters’ picks in nominating contests.

Despite increasing pressure on Sanders to wind down his candidacy, he’s kept up his fight against Clinton. He criticized her in Flagstaff for financing her campaign with corporate donations and receiving payments for “speeches on Wall Street behind closed doors.”

Clinton had a double-digit lead in the Arizona polls over Sanders and mentioned him only once in her speech at a high school gym in Phoenix on Monday while describing their differing views on making college more affordable.

She spent more time criticizing Republicans.

“The stakes in this election just keep getting higher and higher, and the rhetoric on the other side keeps getting lower and lower,” Clinton said.

Five things to watch as Arizona and Utah voters head to the polls

It’s not exactly Tiny Tuesday. But after weeks of high-stakes, cross-country balloting, today’s presidential contests make for a fairly modest go-round.

Only a few states will be voting. Arizona holds its primary and Utah its precinct-level caucuses. Democrats in Idaho will also caucus.

A mere…

It’s not exactly Tiny Tuesday. But after weeks of high-stakes, cross-country balloting, today’s presidential contests make for a fairly modest go-round.

Only a few states will be voting. Arizona holds its primary and Utah its precinct-level caucuses. Democrats in Idaho will also caucus.

A mere…

(Mark Z. Barabak)

She said that she understands Americans’ frustrations, but that she had never seen such a divisive, mean-spirited presidential race.

“Anger is not a strategy,” she said. “We have to roll up our sleeves and get to work.”

Mark Kaelber, 54, wore a Clinton button, T-shirt and sticker to the candidate’s rally and said he was disappointed by Sanders’ recent attacks.

“I have always admired Bernie, but it’s gotten really nasty. He’s implying Hillary is corrupt and bought and paid for. He needs to stop,” said Kaelber, a university admissions advisor. “It seems like he can’t accept the fact he’s not going to win. It doesn’t do anyone any good by him continually being negative toward her.”

Other Clinton supporters worried that Sanders has focused too narrowly on income inequality at the expense of other important issues.

“I love Bernie. My only concern with him is that he has been too much of a one-issue candidate,” said Kris Kyllo, a 65-year-old retiree from Chandler.

While campaigning in Arizona, both Clinton and Sanders sharply criticized Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who is nationally recognized for his hard-line stance against immigrants in the U.S. illegally.

Donald Trump on track to become the Republican nominee, Sanders has highlighted polls that show him beating the New York businessman in a general election by a wider margin than Clinton.

“There is no question that you are looking at the strongest Democratic candidate,” he said Monday.

His campaign team has repeatedly described the primary calendar as skewed in Clinton’s favor for the first half of the nominating contests and expect Sanders to pick up steam in western states such as Washington, which holds its caucuses Saturday.

“We’re at halftime here, and we agree we’re behind, but we think we’re going to win this game,” said Sanders strategist Tad Devine last week.

Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ campaign manager, expressed frustration with the sentiment that Clinton was already locking down the nomination, calling it a “media drumbeat to essentially disenfranchise half of the Democratic voters.”

Twitter: @chrismegerian and @LATSeema

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Hillary Clinton raised $30.1 million last month and spent even more as she worked to lock up the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, campaign-finance reports filed Sunday show.

More than half her February spending — $17.4 million — went into advertising buys as Clinton raced to rack up delegates in her battle with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. She also spent about $4.3 million on payroll and related staffing expenses last month.

The reports also show Clinton donated nearly $93,000 to her own campaign last month in the form of “in-kind payroll and benefits.”

Despite the heavy spending, Clinton started March with $30.8 million in available cash and last week won five more states, extending her delegate lead over Sanders.

Sanders, who has attracted hordes of small donors to his populist campaign, previously announced collecting a whopping $42.7 million in February, but had not filed his fundraising report to the Federal Election Commission as of late Sunday afternoon.

The Clinton’s report shows she is getting better at raising money from smaller donors. Nearly 30% of the money she raised from individuals donors last month came in amounts of $200 or smaller, compared to roughly 20% for the entire election cycle.

Her campaign aides boasted Sunday that she now has collected campaign money from more than 1 million donors.

“Thanks to the 1 million people who have now contributed to our campaign and the more than 8.6 million people who have supported Hillary Clinton with their votes, we have the resources we need to continue to run a strong campaign all across the country and a nearly insurmountable pledged delegate lead,” campaign manager Robby Mook said in a statement.

Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders called the controversy over immigration “trumped up” today during a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border near Nogales, Arizona, just days before the primary in this southwest state.

“The so-called immigration problem we face today at this particular moment, is a trumped up and exaggerated problem,” he said during a hillside press conference with the expansive, brown border fence stretching off into the distance behind him. His microphone was run off of a generator.

Sanders went on to quote numbers from the Pew research center that indicate more people have been going from the United State to Mexico, rather than the other way around.

“We don’t need a wall and we don’t need barbwire,” He said. “We need to fix our broken criminal justice system. First and foremost, it goes without saying that we need comprehensive immigration reform, we need to take 11 million undocumented people out of the shadows, out of fear, and we need to provide them with legal protection, and we need to provide them with a path toward citizenship.”

The Vermont senator said he would end the “deportation regime” currently at work in the country and spoke at length about “fear” and “sadness” he has seen in families torn apart by deportations. When asked specifically if he believed President Obama was part of that “regime” he said, “Yes.”

“The rounding up of families that happened around Christmas time and continues to happen must end, and as president I will end it,” he said before listing several of his immigration policy proposals, including expanding the deferred action program for immigrants who came to the country as children (DACA) as well as the proposals to grant status to parents of legal residents.

While touring the Morely Gate Border Crossing by foot, he spoke briefly with one DREAMer and another young woman who recently received asylum status.

He also spoke at length about ending private prisons and detention centers and called the work of Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio “inhumane” and a “disgrace.” Sanders’ wife, Jane Sanders, recently had a run-in with Arpaio during a visit to one of his so-called tent cities, which the senator called an “ambush.”

Arpaio endorsed Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump, who is also campaigning in Arizona this weekend. Sanders had strong words for the businessman as well.

“I would hope that all of us are rightly appalled by the divisive bigoted and xenophobic comments of people like Donald Trump,” he said motioning to the border. “Trump’s labeling of Mexicans as rapists and criminals repulses all Americans of good will. Mexico is our neighbor, which we have extremely important relations with. To insult an entire nation is not befitting of anybody, let alone a candidate for president of the United States.”

Sanders’ primary opponent, Hillary Clinton, has not yet made a stop at the border during this campaign. When asked if he was trying to distinguish himself from her by coming to this site, the senator replied, “Well, I just wanted to make it very clear that I think we have a crisis in this country with 11 million undocumented people, that so many people, and I have met a lot of them, are living in fear and that they are being exploited.”

AIPAC has a tradition of inviting all the presidential candidates in election years to the conference. In fact, Donald Trump’s attendance this year has drawn backlash from attendees, some of whom plan to boycott his speech on Monday.

RELATED: Rabbis plan boycott of Trump at AIPAC

A petition started by Max Blumenthal, the son of former Clinton adviser Sidney Blumenthal and a pro-Palestinian writer, had garnered more then 5,000 signatures urging Sanders not to speak at AIPAC. One of the signers is Pink Floyd musician Roger Waters, who has endorsed Sanders.

On the other hand, foreign policy writer Robert Naiman wrote an open letter to Sanders encouraging him to speak at AIPAC — urging him to be a “truth-teller” to the group. Naiman is critical of the group’s hard-line pro-Israel stance.

AIPAC lobbies politicians on its pro-Israel agenda and energizes Americans around strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship. Its annual conference is a must-stop for politicians every year looking to appear before the influential audience.

The group has also been a source of criticism for the anti-Zionist and pro-Palestinian movement in the U.S., as well as other pro-Israel groups who believes AIPAC takes too rigid a stance against the Iran nuclear deal.