CNN pundit calls Bernie Sanders ‘establishment’

Democratic strategist and CNN political commentator Paul Begala questioned Thursday why Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vermont independent, avoids being labeled part of the “establishment” despite spending 45 years in elected office, as the network’s panel weighed the fallout from Graham Platner’s collapsed Maine Senate campaign.

Discussing Mr. Platner’s decision to suspend his campaign amid sexual assault allegations he denies, Mr. Begala argued that before the allegations surfaced, Mr. Platner “was the weakest candidate Democrats had in any major Senate race.”

He then turned the conversation to Mr. Sanders. “Bernie’s been in elected office for 45 years. Why isn’t he establishment?” Mr. Begala said.

Mr. Begala compared Mr. Platner’s standing in the polls unfavorably to other Democratic Senate candidates this cycle, noting that North Carolina’s Roy Cooper and Ohio’s Sherrod Brown were both running well ahead of Kamala Harris’s prior performance in their states, while Mr. Platner trailed hers by five points.

Mr. Platner suspended his campaign Wednesday after a former girlfriend accused him of sexually assaulting her five years ago, an allegation he has called “categorically false.” The move came after a wave of prominent Democrats — including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren and Ruben Gallego, and Rep. Ro Khanna — withdrew their endorsements and called on him to exit the race. Mr. Sanders, who had been one of Mr. Platner’s earliest and most prominent backers, told him directly that he should step aside.

Mr. Platner has until Monday to formally withdraw from the ballot under Maine law, after which the state Democratic Party will have until July 27 to select a new nominee.