Some Sanders delegates to support Clinton in November

  • By Becky Bohrer
  • Monday, July 25, 2016 10:05pm
  • News

JUNEAU — Several Alaska delegates who have supported Bernie Sanders for president said Monday that they will vote for presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in November, though unenthusiastically.

One of them, delegate Taz Tally, said he has long been a nonpartisan but got involved in the Democratic party because of Sanders.

Tally said he was disappointed in hacked Democratic National Committee emails that he said confirmed what many people believed — that the DNC was rooting for Clinton and in some cases working against Sanders — calling that “anti-democratic.”

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“I think it’s made it more difficult for Bernie to encourage his ardent supporters to vote for Hillary,” Tally said.

But Tally said he’ll vote for Clinton this fall because he thinks Republican nominee Donald Trump is dangerous and unprepared. He doesn’t think he’ll actively campaign for her, saying he isn’t excited about her.

Nathan Sidell, a Sanders delegate, said he will cast his delegate vote for Sanders, but after that Clinton will be the nominee. “It’s not easy for me, as someone who supported Sanders from the very beginning, to also want to vote for Hillary Clinton, but unfortunately those are the options that have presented themselves,” he said.

Sidell, who considers himself a staunch Democrat, said it doesn’t make sense to him to support Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson or Green party candidate Jill Stein. He said Sanders’ supporters have influenced the party platform, including pushing for changes to the current system that allows for so-called superdelegates to support whomever they choose at the national convention.

WikiLeaks has posted emails suggesting that the DNC was favoring Clinton over Sanders during the primary season and bad-mouthed Sanders.

Sanders’ delegates strongly believe that Sanders is a better candidate to unite the party and beat Trump, Sanders’ delegate Jill Yordy said via a Facebook message. They also want unity, she wrote, and the DNC needs to “step up and show that they can walk the walk of being the big tent party.”

“We are here, we are stepping up to be part of the change we want,” Yordy wrote. “We expect to see a party with integrity that walks the walk.”

Emails related to Wasserman Schultz’s trip to Alaska earlier this year to speak at the state party’s convention were among those posted by WikiLeaks. They show DNC representatives trying to get details of a counter event planned for Anchorage.

One email appears to reference the executive director of the state party, Kay Brown, with someone from the DNC saying that Kay has friends within the Sanders’ organization who might be able to provide more information than what appeared on Facebook.

Alaska party spokesman Jake Hamburg said people freely shared information with the party, which wanted a successful event.

A small number of people walked out of Wasserman Schultz’s speech.

Hamburg said the state party tried to see if Sanders’ wife could participate in the Schultz event, “recognizing the perception that some folks had and wanting to ensure that people felt like they could hear different people.” That didn’t pan out, he said.

He said the party worked hard to ensure impartiality during the nominating season, including providing equal speaking time at the presidential nominating caucuses for little-known candidate Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente. Hamburg said Brown also helped a Sanders supporter write a resolution for the state convention addressing superdelegates. It urged the DNC to either eliminate unpledged delegates or to direct them to vote in the same proportion as their states voted in caucuses and primaries.

More in News

Protesters gather for a protest against Medicaid cuts at the Alaska State Capitol on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Alaskans across the state rally to save Medicaid: their ‘lifeline’

Caregivers raise their voices to protect their jobs and the thousands of lives impacted if Medicaid is cut.

Rep. Rebecca Himschoot (I-Sitka) offers an overview of House Bill 69 during Wednesday’s floor session. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
House passes education bill with $1,000 BSA increase as state’s fiscal situation grows bleaker

Senate majority likely to trim hike to $680 while legislators also seek policy deal with governor.

U.S. Coast Guard officer Alexander Curran shows Homer visitors the bow of the USCG cutter Naushon on Aug. 4, 2023, in Homer, Alaska. (Emilie Springer/ Homer News.)
USCG cutter Naushon to be decommissioned  

A ceremony honoring the soon-to-be retired ship will be held on Friday, March 21 on the Homer Spit.

Chris Keithley, 2024 Homer Winter King Salmon Tournament champion, poses with his prize fish after the awards ceremony at the Deep Water Dock on the Spit in Homer, Alaska on Saturday, March 23, 2024. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Winter King Tournament scheduled for March 22

This year’s event will be held at the Deep Water Dock at 4667 Freight Dock Road.

A group of volunteers during the 2024 K-Bay Sea Duck Survey. Two boats duplicate the same survey in the same area at the same time to help ensure accuracy. (Photo courtesy of Bjorn Larson)
Homer bird enthusiasts prepare for annual sea duck count

The count aims to ensure a proper and consistent population estimate before the ducks begin their April migration.

Community members hold up protest signs during the Stand for Democracy Rally on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2025, at WKFL Park in Homer, Alaska. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)
‘We haven’t lost our democracy yet’

Homer community protests amid sweeping federal changes.

tease
Homer man sentenced for illegally transporting black bears

Travis Larson pleaded guilty to four counts of violating the Lacey Act in October 2024.

Girl Scout Troop 210, which includes Caitlyn Eskelin, Emma Hindman, Kadie Newkirk and Lyberty Stockman, present their “Bucket Trees” to a panel of judges in the 34th Annual Caring for the Kenai Competition at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Caring for the Kenai announces 12 finalists

The final presentations will take place on April 17 in Kenai.

Daaljíni Mary Cruise, left, offers encouragement to participants in a Unity for the Queer Community rally at the Alaska State Capitol on Sunday afternoon. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Hundreds participate in Juneau LGBTQ+ rally as Trump administration seeks to erase letters and rights

President’s actions to stop “woke” are putting people’s safety and health at risk, participants say.

Most Read