‘Stand Up To The Oligarchs’: Bernie Sanders Makes Passionate Plea To Reelect Rep. Jamaal Bowman

"This election is about whether billionaire super PACs can buy our democracy,” the Vermont senator said.

HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. ― Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called upon Democrats in the New York City suburbs to reelect Rep. Jamaal Bowman in order to take a stand against the deep-pocketed super PACs bankrolling Bowman’s primary challenger.

Bowman’s bid for a third term “is one of the most significant elections in the modern history of this country,” Sanders told a crowd of about 200 supporters gathered in a park on the bank of the Hudson River, “because this election is not about a clash of ideas, this election is about whether billionaire super PACs can buy our democracy.”

Sanders argued, with a touch of humor, for Democrats to vote for Bowman for the sake of democracy ― even if they don’t see eye to eye with him on other matters.

“I want to say a word to the people in the district ― and Jamaal may not agree with me, but this is what I think ― even if you disagree, you’re a Democrat, you’re going to vote in this primary, and you disagree with Jamaal on this issue, or that issue ― vote for Jamaal,” he said. “And the reason is, the most important part of this election is whether we have the courage as people to stand up to the oligarchs and tell these billionaires they’re not going to control our government.”

Westchester County Executive George Latimer, a more moderate Democrat, is seeking to defeat Bowman in Tuesday’s primary in New York’s 16th Congressional District, a solid Democratic seat where the general election is not competitive.