Ahead of Kansas trip, Bernie Sanders rejects 'radical' label and jabs Koch family

BY BRYAN LOWRY
July 19, 2018 03:45 PM
Updated 21 minutes ago

Excerpt:

The rally at Century II in Wichita will take place in the home district of Charles Koch, a Wichita billionaire and Republican megadonor who along with his brother, David Koch, has often been an object of Sanders’ scorn on the campaign trail.

Sanders said the Koch family’s presence did not factor into his decision to become involved in the race, but he agreed it would add an extra significance if a Democrat wins the seat for the first time 25 years.

“I don’t think the people of Kansas or the people of Vermont or the people anywhere in this country think that it is appropriate that a handful of billionaires like the Koch brothers can spend some $400 million in this 2018 election cycle to elect candidates to represent the wealthy and the powerful, so I think a defeat of the Koch brothers, if you like, would be a very symbolic victory,” he said.

“Winning in Kansas will help prove that the majority of Americans are with us on the policies. Americans support Medicare for All, expanding Social Security benefits, gun reform, debt-free college, and a $15 minimum wage,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a Wednesday fundraising email for the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.

Sanders was one of the few national politicians to back Ocasio-Cortez over Crowley in the New York primary.

https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/the-buzz/article215184025.html

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