Florida is ready to Feel the Bern Wednesday evening -- Vermont Sen. and former Democratic presidential primary candidate Bernie Sanders is heading to the Magic City in the Sunshine State as part of the Democratic National Committee’s tour to turn states blue in 2018 and beyond.
Sanders will be coming to Miami Wednesday night as part of the DNC's effort to turn historically red and "purple" states blue once more.
Florida falls into the latter category of the DNC’s ambitions since it went red for President Donald Trump last year after voting for the Democratic Party in 2008 and 2012.
Both Sanders and DNC Chair Tom Perez will make the stop to Miami as part of a nine-state tour to champion raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, combating climate change, pay equity for women and making colleges and universities tuition free.
The event will be held at the James L. Knight Center in Miami.
Other rallies will be held in Arizona, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, Nebraska and Utah.
The tour begins April 17 and will continue for a week, but specific city stops have not yet been mentioned.
Sanders' joining Perez is notable since he openly backed Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison during the DNC chair vote in February.
Sanders campaigned heavily in Florida last year to nab the Democratic nomination but ultimately lost out to Hillary Clinton, who received 64 percent of the primary vote.
The Republican Party of Florida said the tour was indicative of a lost party with nowhere to go.
“On Monday, DNC Chair Tom Perez and Bernie Sanders kicked off the ‘Unity Tour,’ admitting that their party is, well, not unified,” said RPOF Chairman Blaise Ingoglia.
Ingoglia said he also took issue with Sanders’ carrying the banner for the Democratic Party since many Republicans see him as a “Socialist Democrat.”
“The Democrats need a serious wake-up call,” Ingoglia said. “Last year’s election should’ve sounded the alarm. Instead, in recent years, we’ve seen a Democrat Party that continues to move further left and continues to lose big in everything from State Legislatures to Governor’s Mansions and U.S. Senate seats.”
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
