Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-V.T., the Democratic presidential frontrunner, made waves over the weekend when he rolled through the Nevada caucus — and that was only the beginning.
Sanders praised Cuban dictator Fidel Castro’s policies during an appearance on “60 Minutes” Sunday night, which caused immediate controversy. The self-described socialist said “it’s unfair to simply say everything is bad” about the former communist dictator’s 60-year rule over the Caribbean island. Castro died in 2016.
“We’re very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba but you know, it’s unfair to simply say everything is bad. Do you know? When Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program,” Sanders told Anderson Cooper.
“Is that a bad thing?” he asked. “Even though Fidel Castro did it?”
The remark received instant backlash among Latino voters and politicians.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-T.X., tweeted in response —
It really makes a difference when those you murder at the firing squad can read & write. https://t.co/4DKbSKpI6t
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 24, 2020
Despite the praise for Castro, Sanders’ campaign is ascendant.
Sanders’ lopsided win Saturday in Nevada caps his remarkable transformation from political insurgent to possibly even a favorite to face off with Trump in November. Both have campaigns built on mobilizing die-hard loyalists but also disaffected voters — even though their politics are polar opposite.
“The Trump Democrats are people that got abandoned by the Democrat Party and Bernie was straightforward about that,” said Jim Hightower, a populist former Texas agriculture commissioner who endorsed Sanders in 2016 and remains loyal to him.
Sanders’ impressive campaign bank account has helped keep many others loyal to him as well. He raised nearly $96 million by the end of last year, raked in an additional $25 million in January and has vowed to raise and spend $1 billion to defeat Trump in November.
That stream of cash has also meant Sanders could build a more professional operation, with longer-range planning and better organizational structure.
It’s a money advantage that few of his competitors can match.
Sanders joined the 2020 race with polling that was largely stable but not overly impressive, showing him among the leaders with former Vice President Joe Biden, but potentially with less room for growth than newcomers like Buttegieg.
To improve his standing, Sanders began hiring staff in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada far faster than in 2016 when “he wasn’t well-known and it took a while for people to catch on,” said Jane Sanders, the senator’s wife and close adviser.
“They didn’t know him throughout all of the country and that hurt,” she said. “They do now.”
Rather than introducing himself to voters, Sanders focused on attracting Iowans who traditionally didn’t vote, hiring students who lobbied their classmates. He ultimately won nine of the 13 precincts with more than 20% registered voters under 23.
The results so far have been mixed. Sanders vowed to spark unprecedented Iowa caucus turnout and failed. Eight days later he won a New Hampshire primary that featured a record of nearly 300,000 Democratic ballots cast — but that total was inflated by the state’s voting-age population that’s increasing rapidly.
Early in the campaign, it seemed that Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, was ascendant, and Sanders adjusted. He replaced his state director in New Hampshire and South Carolina, home to the South’s first primary.
And then there was Sanders’ heart attack Oct. 1.
“With that, I think he’s also reassessed the campaign. Similar to when you’re looking at your life and looking at a campaign, you’re trying to see what’s working, what’s not,” said Shannon Jackson, Sanders’ New Hampshire state director.
The Associated Press contributed to this article