Suburban Sanders Supporters Not Calling It Quits Yet

ILLINOIS — It has been a tumultuous primary season for the Democrats, to say the least.

Less than a month ago, it seemed as if Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), one of the first open socialists to run for the presidency since Eugene Debs, would be the party's nominee to face President Donald Trump in November. And then, in the 48 hours leading to Super Tuesday, a flurry of dropouts, a wave of endorsements — and, no doubt, a few back-room deals by the Democrats' dominant moderate wing — saw former Vice President Joe Biden catapult past Sanders to win 10 out of 14 Super Tuesday states. Carried by that momentum, Biden went on to win an additional four states March 10, and he is now what Sanders was a month ago — the party's presumptive nominee.

With Biden also predicted to win most of the contests he'll face Tuesday, some might expect Sanders supporters to be throwing in the towel about now.

They'd be sorely mistaken.

"We've been doing a lot for the Bernie Sanders campaign," said Alex Karmgard, a Sanders backer and member of the west suburban chapter of the political activist group known as the Democratic Socialists of America. "And we still plan to do so at this point."

The Democratic Socialists of America — or DSA, as it's more commonly known — is one of the country's fastest-growing political activist organizations, with chapters all over the country. It's a big-tent group, with some members thinking of themselves as just the left wing of the Democratic Party while others very openly identify as revolutionary Marxists and Anarchists. It's also one of the largest groups that helped propel Sanders into the national spotlight in 2016, and it has continued to fuel his primary campaign in 2020. It's a young, energetic party that's still spoiling for a fight — for some party members, almost as much with Biden as with Trump.

The Biden campaign itself has acknowledged this — that a growing number of young progressives don't see any reason to vote for Biden because they don't see Biden representing their interests any more than Trump. Among DSA members, Karmgard said, the question of whether to vote for Biden is being taken very seriously.

"I believe that there are a significant amount of people on both sides of that," he said. "Because in this election ... I don't want to hand Trump four more years in office, but at the same time the Biden campaign is being run atrociously ... I think when it comes to the DSA, a lot of people will abstain, but I think some people will vote against Trump."

For those who believe Trump is an aberration, a singular evil to be removed at all costs, even suggesting that one may abstain from voting for the eventual Democratic nominee is anathema. But that's the kind of generational and ideological gap that separates many of Sanders' followers from older and more-conservative Democratic voters. While most polling data indicates that older Dems simply want Trump gone, the young left — which will still be around long after Biden's baby boomer base has shuffled off this mortal coil — is looking for something better than a return to normalcy. Stronger unions, better wages, increased worker control over their workplaces, the Green New Deal and, above all, universal health care — these are the issues animating activists to continue fighting for a progressive Sanders candidacy, despite Biden's apparent coronation by the old guard and despite the criticism that they need to fall in line to support him.

"When it comes back to the issues, I think there's still movement behind using the Sanders campaign ... to push the narrative that there's a little more hope for working-class people," Karmgard said. "As long as he's in the race, I don't see any reason to stop."

In the western suburbs of Chicago, the local chapter of the DSA — about 160 members strong, Karmgard said — has been canvassing and making calls to voters for months to spread the Sanders gospel. Even in the face of the new coronavirus crisis, Karmgard said, members are still calling voters from home and helping people get ahold of mail-in ballots. They've focused their efforts in the Lombard and York Township areas, Karmgard said, and have seen a good amount of success. They're less active in whiter, wealthier, more-conservative towns such as Naperville and Plainfield, where Karmgard acknowledged they face an uphill battle.

"I honestly kind of think that it's hard to push the DSA's message in whiter, more-conservative suburbs," he said. "And ... we've got to kind of pick areas that are more open, and then build out from there."

But electoral work isn't the end of their efforts. While enthusiasm for a Sanders primary win runs high, many in the DSA are preparing for a loss. They're preparing, more specifically, for Left life post-Bernie.

"Putting all your eggs behind one candidate, especially one who's 78, 79 years old, I don't think is the best idea," Karmgard said. "Because you need a long-term strategy as well. The DSA will continue ... to try and work out a local strategy."

That strategy includes grassroots community organizing, mutual aid initiatives, getting local progressives into office — nothing is off the table. Given that Sanders' campaign slogan is "Not me, us," it's perhaps fitting that one of his biggest advocacy groups is already making plans to outlive him.

And since young progressive voters are poised to become one of the largest voting blocs in American history in the coming decades, it's anyone's guess what the future holds.

"Building toward local representation in government is a mighty task for somebody who identifies as a Democratic socialist in the suburbs," Karmgard said. "That will take some convincing. But I think ... if there's enough effort put into it, it's definitely something that's doable."

Dave Byrnes is a Patch Editor covering the Illinois towns of Plainfield, Romeoville, Bolingbrook and Oswego. He is also an insufferable political wonk with a specific interest in the resurgent socialist movement in America. He wishes more people would read 'Conquest of Bread.'