The New York Times reports that Democratic socialist Bernie Sanders is struggling to retain the support he garnered two years ago when he was less of a political star than he is today.
Some of his top congressional supporters won’t commit to backing him if he runs for president again — and two of them may join the 2020 race themselves. Some former aides might work for other candidates. And Sanders’s initial standing in Iowa polls is well below the 49.6 percent he captured there in 2016.
“It’s not a given that I’m going to support Bernie just because I did before,” said Lucy Flores, a former Nevada assemblywoman who previously backed Sanders. “There are going to be plenty of people to look at and to listen to. I’m currently open at this point, and I think the majority of people are.”