Downticket distress for Democrats who fear a Sanders led ticket

Sen. Bernie Sanders continues to send shock waves through the ranks of the Democratic Party as his campaign picks up steam heading toward the nomination.

Ahead of tonight’s 10th Democratic debate, internal polls from the rival Michael Bloomberg campaign suggest that Sanders’ name appearing atop the presidential ticket in 2020 would jeopardize the Democrats’ ability to retain control of the House.

The projection obviously favors Bloomberg, but some members of the Democratic establishment have been humming a similar tune since Sanders, a Vermont Independent running on the Democratic ticket, won a decisive victory in the Nevada caucus last Saturday.

There’s an “incredible sense that we’re hurtling into the abyss," Matt Bennett of the center-left group Third Way said Saturday. "I also think we could lose the House. And if we do, there would be absolutely no way to stop [Trump]. Today is the most depressed I’ve ever been in politics.”

Still, not everybody in the Democratic establishment share Bennett's concerns.

“I do believe he can beat President Trump,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) of Sanders. Gillibrand sought the party’s nomination earlier in the cycle.

“I think he’s looking really strong,” said Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico.

However, a Sanders-led ticket presents headwinds for Democrats in Senate races in Arizona, North Carolina and Georgia, in addition to incumbents who in 2018 flipped GOP-held House seats across the country.

Gillibrand also argues that Sanders’ “broad base of very, very passionate followers” should be considered an asset, “especially in a red or purple district.”

Some of those seeking reelection disagree. 

“We’re going to get absolutely wiped out,” said Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.).

Several newly elected Democrats in historically red California districts, like those in Orange County, would likely contend poorly with Sanders as the nominee. 

Democrats in Florida are especially nervous following controversial comments Sanders made on a Sunday evening “60 Minutes” interview, during which he praised former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro’s implementation of a literacy initiative.

“When Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program. Is that a bad thing?” asked the Vermont Independent to host Anderson Cooper.

Such a loose stance on the brutal dictator has made Sanders politically toxic in South Florida.

Democratic Rep. Mucarsel-Powell, who won the state's Cuban-heavy 26th district, beating the Republican incumbent by less than 2 percentage points, said she found Sanders’ comments on Castro’s Cuba "absolutely unacceptable.”