Sanders’ Ga. Supporters Undeterred, Despite Big Loss

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March 1st, 2016

Georgia Bernie Sanders supporters gather to watch Super Tuesday results at his Atlanta campaign headquarters.

martha dalton / WABE

It wasn’t a surprise to Georgia’s Bernie Sanders supporters that he didn’t win here. Many polls, including one by WABE, showed Democratic rival Hillary Clinton had a strong lead in the Peach State.

But Sanders’ supporters, inspired by his raw manner of speaking and lack of political polish, didn’t seem to be discouraged by the drubbing he took in the South.

“As Bernie has said, ‘It’s a marathon, not a sprint,’” said Sanders campaign volunteer Christina Kroon. “While there’s other candidates who say, ‘I will fight for you,’ he’s the only one who says, ‘I will fight with you. I will stand with you. I am one of you. Your pain is my pain.’ I think that’s going to resonate with the American people.”

Kroon, a student at Kennesaw State University, said she spends her spare time volunteering for Sanders’ campaign.

She wasn’t alone in her optimism, despite Clinton’s win here and in other Southern states. State Rep. LaDawn Jones, D-Atlanta, who is also Sanders’ Georgia campaign director, said it’s not over yet.

“This is a revolution and not a race,” she said. “A revolution takes a different route and is probably going to take us all the way to the convention.

National Nurses United, a union throwing its support behind Sanders, came to Atlanta on Super Tuesday as it tours through the states. Katy Roemer, a registered nurse from Oakland, said Sanders’ platform of creating a single-payer health care system and reducing college loan debt resonates with a lot of nurses. She wasn’t deterred by his loss in Georgia.

“I’ve waited all my life for a candidate like this, and I will do anything I can to get this man elected, so he can represent me,” she said.

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