Democracy for America
March 2, 2020

2020: Democracy for America endorses Bernie Sanders for President

Today, Democracy for America (DFA) endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for President in the 2020 fight for the Democratic nomination.

Sanders earned the endorsement after receiving 79.3% in the DFA membership vote, easily passing the 67% supermajority threshold, in a resounding victory over the rest of the field. With over 38,000 individual votes cast over the 11-day voting period, DFA members nationwide overwhelmingly chose Senator Sanders to win the nomination and defeat Donald Trump in November.

This is just the second time DFA has endorsed in a presidential primary. Ahead of the 2016 election, the grassroots progressive organization backed Sanders following a membership vote in December 2015, while in 2008 no candidate was able to clear DFA’s supermajority threshold.

Statement from Charles Chamberlain, Democracy for America’s Chair, on today’s endorsement of Sanders for President:

“Bernie Sanders has built a powerful multi-racial, multi-generational movement and we’re excited to join the campaign at this critical moment in the Democratic race. From Super Tuesday to the Democratic Convention in Milwaukee, we’ll be working every day to make sure Bernie wins the most votes, the most delegates, and the most states nationwide to become the Democratic nominee and defeat Donald Trump in November.

“The overwhelming support for Bernie we saw in our member vote should be a wake-up call to the broken, visionless, corporate Democratic establishment. Americans want fundamental change in Washington, not a return to the status quo.

“In the most important election of our lifetimes, Bernie Sanders is the candidate who is energizing our base, connecting with those who have long felt ignored by our politics, and electrifying the next generation of Americans we need to beat Donald Trump, win up and down the ballot nationwide, and fight for bold, inclusive populist reforms like Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, and robust criminal justice reform.” -- Charles Chamberlain, Chair, Democracy for America

Statement from Bernie Sanders reacting to DFA’s endorsement:

“I’m proud to have the support of Democracy for America and its grassroots members who know that real change never comes from the top on down but from the bottom on up. They’ve led the fight to guarantee health care as a human right, protect and expand Social Security, and end our nation’s endless wars. Together, we will build a movement that sweeps Donald Trump out of the White House and transforms this country so that it works for the working class.” -- Sen. Bernie Sanders

In 2020, Democracy for America is committed to doing everything it can to help Sanders secure the Democratic nomination in Milwaukee and defeat Donald Trump in November.

Following its endorsement of Sanders in December 2015, Democracy for America:

• Raised over $2 million in grassroots contributions directly for the Sanders campaign,
• Organized 119,000 volunteer shifts helping the campaign make over 11 million voter contact calls and knock on over 5 million doors.
• Embedded DFA staff at Sanders HQ to train dozens of campaign staff and help optimize the campaign’s volunteer recruitment and training of thousands of activists across the country.
• Strongly supported Sanders in dozens of media outlets across the country while keeping the focus on our positive progressive vision for America.

While DFA will be a strong supporter of Sanders, it also remains committed to the Progressives Unite 2020 pledge it helped launch in January and will be specifically focusing its fire in the fight for the Democratic nomination on “candidates supported by the corporate wing.”

Additional details about DFA’s Presidential Primary Endorsement Vote and its 2020 endorsement of Sanders:

• Final vote percentages for the options on the endorsement ballot were: Sen. Bernie Sanders (79.3%); Sen. Elizabeth Warren (13.2%); Vice President Joe Biden (2.5%); Mayor Pete Buttigieg (1.7%); Mayor Michael Bloomberg (1.2%); Sen. Amy Klobuchar (0.9%); Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (0.7%); “Don’t Endorse” (0.3%); and Tom Styer (0.3%).
• In DFA’s 2016 endorsement poll, the final percentages were: Sen. Bernie Sanders (87.9%); Sec. Hillary Clinton (10.3%); Former Gov. Martin O’Malley (1.1%); “Don’t Endorse” (0.8%).
• To receive DFA’s endorsement, a single candidate needed to secure a supermajority (66.67% or more) of the votes cast.
• All progressives were encouraged to cast a ballot in DFA’s endorsement vote. Individuals could cast their vote -- and change their mind -- as many times as they liked over the course of the voting period, but only their final vote was counted.