In an interview with Univisión Sunday, San Juan mayor and Bernie Sanders campaign co-chair Carmen Yulín Cruz denied that Sanders calls himself socialist, refused to condemn the dictatorships of Cuba and Venezuela, and compared the human rights crisis in Venezuela to poverty in Puerto Rico.
After telling host Jorge Ramos that Sanders “defines himself as a social democrat,” not a socialist, Cruz deflected by claiming “when we talk about the word ‘socialism,’ especially for Latinos, it has a connotation that deviates us away from the conversation.”
Pressed on why she won’t criticize Cuba and Venezuela, Cruz again deflected: “As long as Puerto Rico remains a colony of the U.S., my efforts, totally, will be directed towards the elimination of poverty in Puerto Rico, where 1.3 million people need food assistance to eat.”