With the election approaching next week, Bernie Sanders supporters in Monroe County say they guess they’re with her.
Sanders, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president until he lost in July to Hillary Clinton, has not lost any love in Bloomington, though many supporters have decided to vote for Clinton in the general election.
Mark Fraley, chair of the Monroe County Democrats, said Democrats are mainly backing Clinton given the choice between the two main candidates.
“There’s a lot of people who have been really enthusiastic supporters of Bernie Sanders who realize what’s at stake in this election,” Fraley said. “I don’t think most Bernie supporters find this to be a very difficult decision.”
Sanders won against Clinton in the Indiana Democratic primary but lost the overall nomination. Sanders tallied 335,074 votes with Clinton trailing behind at 303,705 votes, according to the state’s primary election results.
Monroe County had a 35-percent voter turnout, with 15,166 votes for Sanders and 8,063 for Clinton.
There has not been much movement toward independent candidate options.
Fraley said during the summer when Sanders lost the nomination there was some attempt of organization with the Green Party. Jill Stein, the current Green Party candidate, will not be on the ballot in Indiana this election.
He said he heard of people trying to organize a local Green Party in the Bloomington area. There is currently a Monroe County Green Party.
“If you go down to Election Central, there is one homemade sign that says Bloomington Green Party,” Fraley said. “But if there is a group I’m guessing it’s just a couple of people, but there doesn’t seem to be any sizeable mobilization.” Fraley said.
Robert Deppert, chair of Democracy for Monroe County, said he first saw Sanders speak at a convention in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a few years prior to his run for the Democratic nomination. He’s supported Sanders’ efforts ever since.
Deppert, an at-large alternate delegate at the Democratic National Convention this summer, said he decided he would vote for Clinton if the race was close in Indiana.
“I saw quite a few polls that had Indiana close between the two candidates,” Deppert said. “I felt obligated to try to help the Democratic ticket.”
Deppert ran as a delegate at the state convention and later was chosen as an at-large alternate delegate at the national convention. At-large delegates are allocated proportionally based on the statewide results in the primary.
He said he felt the Democratic Party did not have respect for Sanders’ delegates throughout the convention process.
“I understand Bernie was not a Democrat all his life. You’re going to expect the Democratic party to lean toward a Democratic candidate,” Deppert said. “But in a primary, the party should never play a role in putting one candidate over another. I saw it happen at the state convention, and I saw it happen at the national convention.”
Deppert said he has concerns about Clinton but did not believe supporting Stein would be effective.
He said he wants Democrats and progressives to have an influence in Washington, D.C, but he has not been as active in campaigning for Clinton as he said he would have been for Sanders despite his support for her.
“I really don’t approve of her politics, but I also think Donald Trump is a lunatic,” Deppert said. “You got the choice between somebody you don’t trust and a lunatic, you choose the ones you have doubts about trusting.”
Editor's note: A previous version of this story included a photo of Dave and Ruth Simcox and Mary Miggliozi, who were volunteers for Bernie Sanders. The photo, in the context of the story, made it seem they are supporting Hillary Clinton in the general election, when they are not. The IDS regrets this error.
