Coming off of a discouraging loss in the New York primary earlier this week, the Bernie Sanders campaign is pushing on to the next round of states holding Democratic primaries. One of those states is Maryland where economic hardship in its capital, Baltimore, has hit a breaking point in recent years.
To get acclimated to Baltimore’s volatile political scene, Sanders has the help of former NAACP President and Civil Rights leader Benjamin Jealous, who says Sanders is the only candidate who will stand up for Maryland’s families.
The ad opens with Jealous, who has a long family history in Baltimore, reflecting on the city. “Going back to the old neighborhood can be hard sometimes,” he says. “For too many kids, it feels like your zip code determines your life.”
But, he says, “In Bernie Sanders we have a candidate who says ‘we can do better.’ This campaign is ultimately about opportunity.” Jealous goes on to express support for Sanders pitch to make public colleges and universities tuition free.
The Sanders campaign, Jealous says, is “about rebuilding our country and our communities.”
The New York primary earlier this week was plagued by voting catastrophes that left 125,000 Democratic voters unable to vote. But that problem is not persisting in Maryland where early voting is surging with record-high turnout – already, three times the votes compared to the last presidential primary in 2012.
That number is even more striking in Baltimore, where early voters cast seven times the amount of ballots than in 2011, when the city held its last mayoral primary.
To get acclimated to Baltimore’s volatile political scene, Sanders has the help of former NAACP President and Civil Rights leader Benjamin Jealous, who says Sanders is the only candidate who will stand up for Maryland’s families.
Bernie Sanders and Ben Jealous Go to Baltimore
The ad opens with Jealous, who has a long family history in Baltimore, reflecting on the city. “Going back to the old neighborhood can be hard sometimes,” he says. “For too many kids, it feels like your zip code determines your life.”
But, he says, “In Bernie Sanders we have a candidate who says ‘we can do better.’ This campaign is ultimately about opportunity.” Jealous goes on to express support for Sanders pitch to make public colleges and universities tuition free.
The Sanders campaign, Jealous says, is “about rebuilding our country and our communities.”
A City in Flux: The Tumultuous Politics of Today’s Baltimore
The presidential primary comes to Baltimore during a politically turbulent time. The city is currently in the midst of its own election, where former Mayor Sheila Dixon – who resigned in 2010 after being found guilty of 12 counts of theft, fraud, perjury and corruption – is being challenged by prominent community leaders like City Councilman Nick Mosby and Black Lives Matter leader DeRay McKesson.The New York primary earlier this week was plagued by voting catastrophes that left 125,000 Democratic voters unable to vote. But that problem is not persisting in Maryland where early voting is surging with record-high turnout – already, three times the votes compared to the last presidential primary in 2012.
That number is even more striking in Baltimore, where early voters cast seven times the amount of ballots than in 2011, when the city held its last mayoral primary.